Happy #TechiesDay to all the IT people in my life! To celebrate, here's the story of how Linux got its name (from "Words Vikings Gave Us" - the modern Scandi words chapter). #etymology 🧵

Happy National Poetry Day to all those who celebrate. This year’s theme is ‘play’ so here’s a poem which plays with some letters. It’s called ‘The Problem of Writing Poems in the Shape of Deciduous Trees’.

Linda created two trays of brightly coloured alien cupcakes. Admittedly there weren’t any little green men in Catherine’s novel, but that wasn’t going to stop my Senior Librarian and she filled them with a green gloop which was surprisingly tasty. #1linewed "The Librarian's Secret Diary"

This week in Castle Bailey Library Nina is hosting a book launch and thinking about the fun side of being a librarian. Subscribe to read my cosy #library life #serial at www.channillo.com/series/the-l...

Happy #InternationalPodcastDay! I've loved discussing word histories on @bunnytrailspod.bsky.social, Endless Knot, and my monthly chat on LMFM radio/podcast. But I'm also a keen pod listener. "Honest Authors" and "Writing Excuses" are jammed with helpful advice for writers, ... 🧵

Have you ever been mid-story when you realised your audience have no idea what you're talking about? You need an invented word - exulansis - read all about it, and the albatross which inspired it, this week on Wordfoolery. wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2025/09/29/t... #etymology

D is for... Dodo! We hold the only known soft tissue remains of a dodo in our collections, but don't you know? We're much more than a dodo!

This week's word from the Wordfoolery Archives is a shapesmith, one to ponder. wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2015/02/23/w... #etymology

Happy European Day of Languages! It's a day which celebrates and encourages the learning of languages, so naturally I'm on board. Learning a new language is great for brain health apparently. I'm hoping learning about an old language is too! #etymology #lovelanguages 🇪🇺

I'll be celebrating the oddities of the English language on LMFM radio at 2p.m. where our words will be feisty, renegade, insidious, and monger. This time our mystery word is raffle-coppin. You can listen online at www.lmfm.ie and I'll share the podcast link later. #etymology

Words the Sea Gave Us - 370 nautical words & phrases, pirate slang, and more - baggywinkle, gollywobbler, tempest, flotsam. Ideal for beachcombers, sailors, and history lovers. #Kindle #FunFacts #etymology #sea #Kobo paperback wordfoolery.wordpress.com/my-books/ #booksky

The dedicated bookshop/library ordering page is now up on the Wordfoolery site. If you're seeking stock for the winter season check wordfoolery.wordpress.com/shop-library... or message me here. "Words Christmas Gave Us" (especially in hardback) proved a popular gift purchase last year.

Alex pulled a pencil from his pocket, lightly chewed at one end. “I didn’t know you chew your pencils. That’s abuse of stationery.” He blushed. “Not much.” “Maybe I should re-think this whole moving-in thing.” “Nina!” #1linewed The Librarian's Secret Diary

Episode 278 (can you believe it?) of The Librarian's Secret Diary, my #library #serial. This week Nina gets a surprising phone-call from a head-hunter and Alex, her inter-library-loan guy, draws an important Venn Diagram of their lives. Subscribe to read at www.channillo.com/series/the-l...

Happy Book Birthday to "Words Christmas Gave Us". Writing it required me to research festive words & traditions in high summer, but it was worth it to discover they used to put false teeth in Christmas crackers and Jean Paul Sartre wrote a nativity play. #booksky wordfoolery.wordpress.com/my-books/

Created my author newsletter about 18 months ago to share stories about words, writing news, history visits, garden pics, and books read. Now have readers from 11 countries, which I never expected. A delight! 🌎 (Subscribe at subscribepage.io/wordfoolerywhispers & remember to confirm email.)

Today is #HobbitDay because both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins were born on September 22nd. Normally we'd shire a hobbit pun or two but it might just feel like a tolkien gesture and we don't want to embarrass our elves. Anyway come and boromir #Tolkien books.

This week's word on Wordfoolery is aliferous - one which the Romans gave us but which links to dozens of other languages too. wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2025/09/22/t... #etymology #amblogging

This week's dusty gem from the Wordfoolery Archives is hodgepodge, plus a side order of mishmash. I hope you enjoy this throwback. #etymology wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2015/01/13/h...

Got plans for this evening? It's #CultureNight and I'm torn between a history walk in my nearest town and an evening with Lyric FM (may come down to rainfall ☔️) It's #OneNightForAll and available worldwide via RTE Player or check wildly varied, national listings at culturenight.ie/events/. Enjoy!

I've voted. Have you? Closes tonight (19 Sep) at midnight. #BookshopOfTheYear

Happy #TalkLikeaPirateDay! Here's a word from the Pirate chapter of "Words the Sea Gave Us" (amzn.to/2D3bSi7) to celebrate. Bandana comes to English from Hindi, possibly via Portuguese. 🏴‍☠️🦜☠️ #etymology 🧵

It’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day, so here are some things you didn’t* know about pirates (*unless you already did), and which I didn’t know until I read my niece’s Masters dissertation a while back. Firstly – remarkably – pirate ships were democracies with a pretty flat management structure

It's #ReadAnEbookDay - if you enjoy the stories behind the words we use (nautical, Viking, eponyms, or related to the 25th of December) all my Wordfoolery books are available in ebook format (Kindle and Kobo). #history All the ways to get them are listed at wordfoolery.wordpress.com/my-books/

I took a hard look at the board. We forget to remove old notices. Now we have layers of notices which would make a paleontologist squeal. #1linewed "The Librarian's Secret Diary"

This week in the library Nina and the team host a grief counseling workshop. Libraries are more than just books. Subscribe to read www.channillo.com/series/the-l... #irishfiction #serial #librarylife

Wordfoolery Whispers is out on Fri 19th Sept. Read about a Book Launch, Back to School Season, Blog Highlights, Reading, and histories for snortlywink, ubiquity, flippercanorious, and feisty. Subscribe at subscribepage.io/wordfoolerywhispers & remember to confirm email. #etymology

#onthisday 1890, the birth of Agatha Christie (born Agatha Miller). Family legend says I called her Agapa Crispie when I could barely talk. By my teens I was collecting her many novels using pocket money from second-hand shops, sparking a passion for mysteries I still have today. #amreading

It's Monday so here's this week's word from Wordfoolery - battology - are you a battologist? wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2025/09/15/d... #wordsthegreeksgaveus #etymology

#OnThisDay 2021 - I launched "Words the Vikings Gave Us" onto the seas. It traces the huge influence of Old Norse (and modern Scandi words) on the English language. Perfect for all #Vikings fans and a total joy to write - from akimbo to yule. Stocklist List at wordfoolery.wordpress.com/my-books/

“My love of words and history makes this a perfect book for me. Really interesting to read about the origins of so many words I didn’t realise were connected with the sea.” Amazon review #Kindle #FunFacts #etymology #sea paperback #Kobo wordfoolery.wordpress.com/my-books/ #booksky

Delighted to say that my new book of words is out today, in which I explain how ‘sneeze’ was born from a mistake, that ‘window’ is a Viking leftover meaning ‘eye of the wind’, and that the Finns really do have a word for drinking alone in your underwear. linktr.ee/WordsforLife

Assembling my word list for next book ("Words Stories Gave Us") - so far it goes from allegory to zine, and there are some great ones I can't wait to research. I love this stage of writing my #etymology books! 📚 Oh the possibilities.

“Exhausted, Nina, if I’m honest. I’ve been so busy lately.” “I can direct you to the meditation books if you like? Or can I interest you in a comfy chair in the quiet area?” #1linewed "The Librarian's Secret Diary"

Grace Tierney Not the Importance of Being Earnest this week in Castle Bailey Library, but the importance of perseverance. Nina helps out a local author and makes their day. Subscribe and read my #librarylife #serial at www.channillo.com/series/the-l... #irishfiction

Ever been called feisty? It's not always a good thing - particularly as its history leads back to small, farty dogs - read all about it on this week's Wordfoolery blog - wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2025/09/08/t... #etymology

#OnThisDay since 1650s, Regatta, Venice. A regatta is most commonly used today to describe a boat race and in that sense it dates to the 1700s in England, however the original regatta was a little earlier and took place in Venice, not Henley. #etymology #history 🧵

Today is #ReadABookDay - I'm reading "The Complete Peanuts" 1979-1980 and loving spending time with Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the rest of the gang. What are you reading today? #amreading 📚

Closeup of my Chinese/garlic chives today. The whole patch was awash with bees but none would pose long enough for me. The flat leaves are tasty in salads and stir-fries, but I'd grow them for the late summer flowers anyhow, like little stars. #bloomscrolling #chives #gardensky #GIY

I swallowed down a sarcastic reply. “In that case, take the hat. I was thinking about a witch’s cat. I’ll find some pointy ears and a tail.” “Are you sure?” “Definitely.” I pretended to scratch my nose with a paw. “Meow.” #1linewed "The Librarian's Secret Diary"

This week in Castle Bailey Library Nina and Linda was dressing up for Halloween workshops and the senior librarian is putting an Irish spin on all their events. Subscribe to read the latest episode at www.channillo.com/series/the-l... #serial #irishfiction #librarylife

Happy #ReadaNewBook Month! As somebody who reads books every month, this one makes me laugh. But yes, September is a fine month to read a book. Everybody loves words, pirates, vikings, and Christmas folklore, right? All details at wordfoolery.wordpress.com/my-books/ #amreading #history

Renegade is the word on Wordfoolery today. Where do we get this term for a turncoat? wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2025/09/01/t... #etymology

Happy Birthday to "Words the Sea Gave Us" which launched in 2020. I loved exploring the wordy side of my interest in all things nautical from ark to skyscrapers. I'm proud to help readers to talk like #pirates. 🏴‍☠️🦜Aaarrr! Details of all my books - wordfoolery.wordpress.com/my-books/ #etymology

Happy #NationalBeachDay! Here's a nautical word to celebrate - Castaway - In nautical terms it’s somebody who is shipwrecked or adrift at sea (from 1799) but on land it’s somebody, or something, rejected as worthless. #etymology 🧵

My favourite word for a mobile phone is the Zulu umakhalekhukhwini. It means something along the lines of "the one that wails in your pocket" I should also mention (because I'm currently in Sweden) that in 80s Swedish slang a mobile phone was sometimes known as a yuppienalle, or "yuppie teddy bear"

Today at 2 o'clock I'll be chatting about word histories with Gerry Kelly on LMFM Radio. This month's words are scavenger, eke out, ubiquity, penthouse, and our Mystery Word is novalunosis. Listen online at www.lmfm.ie and I'll share the podlink later. #etymology

Modern Words with Old Roots - a lighthearted look at the astonishingly ancient history of 50 modern words from avatar to zarf. Ideal for word geeks and anybody who’s ever wondered about the roots of the latest trendy word. #booksky #FunFacts #etymology #Kindle only amzn.to/3Euqd2Y

"She hates birthdays. She says she gave them up for Lent in 1963 and hasn’t bothered with them since.” #1linewed "The Librarian's Secret Diary"

The latest episode of "The Librarian's Secret Diary" #serial is out now for subscribers. This week Kitty and Beth are throwing a secret birthday party with help from their favourite librarian but Nina hasn't a clue whose birthday they are celebrating. www.channillo.com/series/the-l... #librarylife