The River History of Moxie Hello, I was watching an entertaining interview with the American actor Jeff Goldblum a few days ago and he was describing his early self when he used the adjective moxie. It’s not one I hear…

This week on Wordfoolery, inspired by Jeff Goldblum I'm investigating the meaning and roots of the word moxie. Do you have it? Maybe you need it - read all about it at wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2026/04/20/t... #etymology

The #IrelandBookCrawl starts today! Call to get your passport, no photos needed😃
#GlobalBookCrawl

Occult and Oculist – are they word linked? Hello, This week I am delving into the murky word depths of occult and oculist to see if they’re linked. I knew that occult described supernatural things and practices, but I didn’t rea…

This week's dusty gem from the Wordfoolery Archives comes from Feb 2016 - when I was musing about occult and oculist and their possible link. Hope you enjoy! wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2016/02/22/o... #etymology

Closeup of wild garlic in bloom - green strappy leave, a rounded cluster of small white petal flowers with green centre

The patch of wild garlic under the apple tree is just coming into bloom. I always think they look like stars fallen to the ground. The scent, if you crush the leaves, is amazing. Tasty too. #bloomscrolling #giy

The Librarian's Secret Diary <p>Nina is the new librarian on the block. She’s learning the shelves with her buzzword-spouting boss and the senior librarian who hates reading and can’t wait to retire. She records the crazy reader ...

Happy #LibrarianDay 📚 My fiction serial "The Librarian's Secret Diary" is a lighthearted 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. #booksky

Wordfoolery Whispers is out This Friday, plus Wordfoolery jester doll in red green and yellow motley complete with bells

Wordfoolery Whispers is out on Fri 17th Apr.

Read about the Perils of Proofreading, Easter Adventures, Blog Highlights, Good Books, and histories for whiffler, lethologica, plogging, ethereal, and deckchair.

Subscribe at subscribepage.io/wordfoolerywhispers & remember to confirm email. #etymology

a man and a woman are looking at books in a library with the words house hunting like ALT: a man and a woman are looking at books in a library with the words house hunting like

“Just don’t expect me to find the perfect place on our current budget. We are going to have to be flexible. I mean do we really need indoor plumbing?”

#1linewed "The Librarian's Secret Diary"

The Librarian's Secret Diary <p>Nina is the new librarian on the block. She’s learning the shelves with her buzzword-spouting boss and the senior librarian who hates reading and can’t wait to retire. She records the crazy reader ...

What do Jane Austen and Nina's senior librarian have in common? Love letters. This week at the library Nina's boyfriend gets a six-month job far away and she decides to get writing. channillo.com/series/the-l... #serial #irishfiction #librarylife

Up and Away – the History of Ethereal Hello, The world watched last week as the inspirational crew of the Artemis II lunar space mission shared images and returned safely to Earth. It seems like a good moment to explore a word related …

This week on the Wordfoolery blog I explore the Greek history of the word ethereal - one for surgeons, astronomers, alchemists, and poets. wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2026/04/13/u... #WordsTheGreeksGaveUs #etymology

Cacography – the Curse of Bad Handwriting Hello, Poor handwriting has been a hot topic in my house recently. In my daugher’s school pupils write all their work in joined script from age 10. I remember the pain my older child went thr…

This week's dusty gem from the Wordfoolery archives is cacography - a word for those of us with poor handwriting - wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2016/02/01/c... #etymology
Update: 10 years later and her writing is perfect!

Several plants are now blooming in the garden but this self-seeded patch of honesty caught my eye today. I love that colour. It was always the first one of my colouring pencils to be pared down to a stump when I was little!
#bloomscrolling #cuttinggarden

The Finnish word for an auction, huutokauppa, means “shout market” (or “shouting shop”)

* read on for more of my favourite Finnish words (a thread in honour of today being Day of the Finnish Language)…

a cartoon cat is wearing a hat and dancing in a doorway . ALT: a cartoon cat is wearing a hat and dancing in a doorway .

"If you’ll excuse me, I see somebody I must catch up with over there.” I pointed over her shoulder at a random clump of librarians and moved away before she could reply.

#1linewed "The Librarian's Secret Diary" #exitstageleft

The Librarian's Secret Diary <p>Nina is the new librarian on the block. She’s learning the shelves with her buzzword-spouting boss and the senior librarian who hates reading and can’t wait to retire. She records the crazy reader ...

This week in "The Librarian's Secret Diary" (my serial fiction on Channillo) Nina and Bob the Library Bear face tough criticism of their presentation at the National Library Conference. Subscribe to read at channillo.com/series/the-l... #serial #irishfiction #librarylife

The Piercing History of the Word Thrill Hello, I read a wide variety of books, both fiction and non, so along my shelves you will find a fair scattering of thrillers. Today, with a little help from Susie Dent’s “Word Perfect&…

Blog a day late this time (away yesterday at the in-laws). This week I explore the surprisingly violent origins of the word thrill. One from Old English this time, with a side order of nostrils. Yes, really. Read all about it on the blog wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2026/04/07/t... #etymology

a cartoon character is holding a purse in his hand ALT: a cartoon character is holding a purse in his hand

I've been rummaging in the Wordfoolery Archives again and this week's dusty gem is the Roman history of the word bankrupt. Enjoy! wordfoolery.wordpress.com/2016/01/01/t... #etymology #WordsTheRomansGaveUs

OF THE EASTER EGG: ANECDOTES AND ETYMOLOGIES Once a ‘heathen’ token of fertility and (re)birth (or so we are told – speculations by the Venerable Bede in the 8th century or Jacob Grimm in the 19th, now taken as gospel, may indeed be no more t…

language-and-innovation.com/2024/03/30/i...

Oh yes, absolutely!

Fighting, or hugging it out? You decide.

a cartoon of a boy reading a book in front of a stack of books . ALT: a cartoon of a boy reading a book in front of a stack of books .

Happy International #ChildrensBookDay! Founded in 1967 it's celebrated on Hans Christian Andersen's birthday.

I didn't read his stories as a child but Enid Blyton mysteries, Tolkien fantasy, E Nesbit's adventures, and Roger Lancelyn Green's mythology re-tellings all made me.

What books made you?

a man in a suit and hat is standing with his hands in his pockets in a black and white photo . ALT: a man in a suit and hat is standing with his hands in his pockets in a black and white photo .

4) Uxorious - too fond of your wife/hen-pecked. 1590s. Direct borrowing from Latin where uxor means wife.

Whittle-ganger - a visitor who out-stays their welcome. Yorkshire dialect.

Dot GIF ALT: Dot GIF

3) Slangwhanger - noisy writer or talker. Used by Washington Irving in 1821. American English.

Spuddle - outwardly busy but achieving little. 1600s. Possible agricultural roots.

Tittle - the dot on a lowercase i or j - a small stroke or dot in printing or writing. 1300s.

a cartoon character from the little mermaid is sitting on a rock with the word teenagers . ALT: a cartoon character from the little mermaid is sitting on a rock with the word teenagers .

2) Inspissate - to make thicker. 1620s. From Latin spissus (thick)  - useful in cooking and in insults.

Jargogle - to confuse. 1690s. Origins lost, possibly Old French.

Lucifugous - animals who avoid light, such as bats and teenagers. 1600s, from Latin.

a man is standing in front of a green door that says 20 ALT: a man is standing in front of a green door that says 20

Happy Wordfoolery Day! Here are the definitions and roots of the words, as promised. Which is your favourite? #etymology 🧵

Bombologist - one who studies bumble bees. From bombus, the Greek word for buzzing.

Fufflement - wearing too many layers of clothes. Yorkshire dialect.

2) I'll post the definitions and roots of these words later today (6 o'clock GMT). Enjoy!

Bombologist
Fufflement
Inspissate
Jargogle
Lucifugous
Slangwhanger
Spuddle
Tittle
Uxorious
Whittle-ganger

The Wordfoolery Doll - jester in red and yellow and green with bells on their hat

Happy #AprilFoolsDay! I also celebrate today as Wordfoolery Day and this year I'm giving you an Odd Words Quiz. I do this every month in my Whispers newsletter (you can sign up at subscribepage.io/wordfoolerywhispers) but here's a little sample for you. 1/2

The Librarian's Secret Diary <p>Nina is the new librarian on the block. She’s learning the shelves with her buzzword-spouting boss and the senior librarian who hates reading and can’t wait to retire. She records the crazy reader ...

The latest episode of "The Librarian's Secret Diary" is now live on Channillo for subscribers. This week Nina brings Bob the Library Bear to the national library conference, partly as a prop for her speech, but also for moral support. channillo.com/series/the-l... #serial #irishfiction #librarylife

I guessed 😀

Wordfoolery Whispers sign-up graphic reminding you to check your spam for the confirmation email. Newsletter has writing, reading etymology adventures plus a word quiz, contests, and advance news on my books.

3) If you've enjoyed the female words I've shared for #WomensHistoryMonth you might also like my -
etymology blog wordfoolery.wordpress.com
monthly newsletter about words & writing subscribepage.io/wordfoolerywhispers
books about the history of words wordfoolery.wordpress.com/my-books/.

2) Plath was one of the 20th century's most important female writers, although sadly most praised after her death. Like many poets she wasn't afraid to create words - such as sleep-talk, windripped, and sweat-wet. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1982.