Grace Tierney
Word history - books, blog, LMFMRadio
Comedyfic - Channillo
Love to read, craft, garden in Ireland
My Books - wordfoolery.wordpress.com/my-books/
Weekly Word Blog - wordfoolery.wordpress.com
Newsletter - subscribepage.io/wordfoolerywhispers
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- Absolutely. I knew the selling would be the hard part, but it's harder than expected (and like you I've a few books out). Even managed a mention on a popular, relevant, TV show in Feb - zero extra sales, sigh. Huge respect for anybody who keeps going at this.
- Wordfoolery Whispers is out on Fri 16th May. Read about a First Draft, an Exhibition, Writing Workshops, Books, Blog Highlights, and histories for sunshine, inkling, sumptuous, dardledumdue, lentiginous, smeuse. Subscribe at subscribepage.io/wordfoolerywhispers & remember to confirm #etymology
- I can just see that 🤣 Very Gollum-esque Similar here, interspersed with trying stuff (e.g."sell your ebook on Kindle Unlimited" they say) and watching it not remotely work for nonfiction. Very tired of the pushing online to spend money on ads and reviews (!).
- “No problem. Leave it with me. Return the rest of them. I’ll sort this out.” I wouldn’t sort it out at all, but she could walk way happy that the Book Police had the case in hand. #1linewed "The Librarian's Secret Diary"
- It's Wednesday, time to join Nina in the library again. She is in Hercule Poirot Mode to track down the person doodling in their books. www.channillo.com/series/the-l... #librarysky #booksky #serial #irishfiction
- Wordfoolery explores the word sunshine (from her work in progress - "Words the Weather Gave Us") this week with help from Old English, runes, sun gods, and Coco Chanel. wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2025/05/12/t... #etymology
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- Amazing photos. The colours are so rich.
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- I love the suggested uses for the boxes! Giant jenga or dominoes are fun too, if you have a large enough space to play.
- This week's post from the Wordfoolery Archives explores the expression yabba dabba doo - one you might recall from your childhood. wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2013/08/19/y... #etymology
- “We’d like to take this opportunity to remind you all, that burst seams in your clothes when bending over to shelve books is not a medical injury and if you, or your library cat, spills tea on a visiting dignitary their dry-cleaning bill cannot be paid from our fund.” #1linewed
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- Thank you 😀
- This week Nina has escaped the library to attend the national library conference. She's famous there thanks to her TV work and enjoys connecting with other librarians. Subscribe to read at www.channillo.com/series/the-l... #serial #librarylife #irishfiction
- Bluebells in the woods. Enjoy.
- If you're at loggerheads with somebody what does that mean and where does it come from? Wordfoolery explores it today. wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2025/05/05/t... #etymology
- This week's gem from the Wordfoolery archives is the story of the guillotine, last used in 1977 (yes you read that right). This was written back in 2013 but it later made its way into my book of eponyms "How to Get Your Name in the Dictionary" wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2013/07/08/t... #etymology
- May is #GetCaughtReadingMonth Never be without a book (or comic, zine, poem, play...). I hide mine in bed, car, bag, pocket, ipad, kitchen shelf. Sneak in a read. Much better than doomscrolling! #AmReading ❤️📚❤️
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- Absolutely! And let's be honest, a CEO probably has at least one assistant managing their time and plenty of people to delegate to. I think it's more like an old-fashioned one-man-band, with the harmonica and cymbals etc.
- “A delightful romp through the origins of eponyms like limerick, aphrodisiac, Murphy’s Law, and groggy.” Review by Rick Ellrod, author #Kindle #FunFacts #etymology #eponyms paperback #Kindle #Kobo wordfoolery.wordpress.com/my-books/
- “I was twice as smart as any teacher I visited on parents day at the children’s schools but they assumed I knew nothing because I was only a housewife.” I hadn’t pegged Kitty as a feminist, but I was rapidly reassessing that position. #1linewed "The Librarian's Secret Diary"
- This week in Castle Bailey Nina needs to console her oldest library patron, Kitty, who is struggling to find a agent for her novel. Subscribe to read at www.channillo.com/series/the-l... #irishfiction #serial #librarylife
- Inkling is the word on Wordfoolery this week. Is it related to ink? What would Tolkien think? And why should we whisper it? wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2025/04/28/t... #etymology
- This week's word from the Wordfoolery archives - woggle - wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2013/06/18/w... #etymology
- Wordfoolery will be joining Gerry Kelly on the Late Lunch LMFM radio today at 2 o'clock. We'll be exploring marmalade, epicentre, curmudgeon, fudging the books, and the mystery word is looseleft. #etymology Listen live at www.lmfm.ie
- You can listen to the podcast if you missed it - shows.acast.com/lmfm-late-lu...
- Modern Words with Old Roots - a lighthearted look at the astonishingly ancient history of 50 modern words from avatar to zarf. #FunFacts #etymology #Kindle only amzn.to/3Euqd2Y Ideal for word geeks and anybody who’s ever wondered about the roots of the latest trendy word.
- Only Mary Poppins could manage a bike and an umbrella on a windy Irish day. #1linewed "The Librarian's Secret Diary"
- This week in the library Nina is tidying up loose ends like the Lost Property Box while missing her Inter Library Loan boyfriend. www.channillo.com/series/the-l... #librarylife #serialfiction #irishfiction
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- Congratulations to you all. Wishing your shield maiden all the best (sharp axe, wild battles, and a swift ship).
- Sumptuous and sumptuary laws - an expensive word the Romans gave us this week on Wordfoolery - wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2025/04/21/t... #etymology #Romans
- This week's gem from the Wordfoolery Archive is fargling - an example of which is rock paper scissors or one potato, two potato. wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2013/06/04/f... #etymology
- 2025 - Happy #LibrarianDay 📚 My fiction serial "The Librarian's Secret Diary" is a light-hearted tale of life in a small town Irish public library with over 200 episodes available for subscribers at channillo.com/series/the-l... You can read the first chapter free.
- Scottish/Northern friends - are any of you aware of the word umplist? Apparently an 1800s word from the far north of Scotland for a sudden shower of rain and gust wind. I'm wondering if it's still used? thank you. #etymology
- " I’d never ask a doctor or a librarian what they earned. It’s so nosy.” I laughed. “Enough to buy a book, not enough to buy the bookshop.” #1linewed "The Librarian's Secret Diary"
- This week in the library Nina hosts an author talk and has to manage difficult audience questions. Subscribe to read my cosy serial about life in a small Irish library at www.channillo.com/series/the-l... #irishfiction #serialfiction #librarylife
- Wordfoolery Whispers is out Fri 18th April. Read about Wordfoolery Day, Literary London, Book of the Month, Blog Highlights, and histories of looseleft, sockdolager, matutolypea, marmalade, epicentre, giddy. Subscribe at subscribepage.io/wordfoolerywhispers & remember to confirm email. #etymology
- This week on Wordfoolery, with a little help from Paddington Bear, I take a look at the fruity history of the word marmalade. wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2025/04/14/t... #etymology #foodhistory
- You never know who's reading! Thrilled that @susiedent.com mentioned my book Modern Words with Old Roots as "really good" on @C4Countdown and read the section about gazebos. ❤️her work and regularly use her books as references. Thanks Susie! Minute 26 in www.channel4.com/.../countdow... #etymology
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- I was delighted when I saw it. Love her stuff.
- Happy #BigWindDay! I'm deep in writing "Words the Weather Gave Us" at the minute so this was on my mind. #OnThisDay, 1934, the Mount Washington Observatory recorded winds at 231 miles per hour. Ireland's record is 182 km per hour at Limerick in 1945.
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- You're welcome!
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- Aha, then you need to follow Val. She does a brilliant job of promoting all the good things (and cakes) in Sligo. And every writer needs to know the good spots for tea and cake, right?
- Had no idea you were in Sligo these days. Do you know Sligo Val @magnumlady.bsky.social ? She might be interested in the Sligo readers & writers club (she published a book last year) and could definitely get the word out about it.
- "Grace’s books are wonderful. They are perfect for diving into with a cuppa and sparking conversations." Review by Nadia @ Cottage Notebook Modern Words with Old Roots - avatar to zarf. #Kindle #FunFacts #etymology #booksky amzn.to/3Euqd2Y
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- That makes me very happy - both that you're well and that it helped in the wait. Books are always my escape valve too. I love that I have Viking runes on my phone screen.
- Boss Lady wasn’t sure about the whole author visit thing initially. “She’s not going to charge much, is she? Our budget is almost empty.” That’s a worrying statement considering it’s early June and our budget year runs from Jan to December. #1linewed "The Librarian's Secret Diary
- This week in the library Nina welcomes a famous thriller author to give a reading and talk. Hard to know who is most nervous - the librarian or the writer. www.channillo.com/series/the-l... #irishfiction #librarylife #booksky #serialfiction
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- Alex, thanks so much for taking the time to review it. You're a star.
- This week Wordfoolery explores the Irish roots of epicentre, seismology and the eight Hiberno English words added to the Oxford English Dictionary last week (spice bag, anyone?). wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2025/04/07/t... #WordsTheIrishGaveUs
- This week's gem from the Wordfoolery Archives is a short post about tacenda - a very useful word once you know what it means - wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2013/05/27/t... #etymology