#word nerds

The difference between English and Irish animal names isn't just about different words; it's about different worldviews.

English often labels. It categorizes. It's practical in a scientific, detached way.

Irish describes. It anthropomorphizes. It tells a mini-story. A "seal's snot" isn't just a gross blob; it's a thing that came out of a seal's nose, implying a messy, living interaction with the environment. It's visceral. It's humorous. It's undeniably Irish.

The House with a Clock in Its Walls - John Bellairs

Official Summary: When Lewis Barnavelt, an orphan. comes to stay with his uncle Jonathan, he expects to meet an ordinary person. But he is wrong. Uncle Jonathan and his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Zimmermann, are both witches! Lewis is thrilled. At first, watchng magic is enough. Then Lewis experiments with magic himself and unknowingly resurrects the former owner of the house: a woman named Serenna Izard. It seems that Serenna and her husband built a timepiece into the walls–a clock that could obliterate humankind. And only the Barnavelts can stop it!

Prompt: “Tell me about the red sun.”

Rules: No editing! One- shot, less than 250 words. Tag it with #wordnerdprompt. Go!

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It’s summer, which means I am in the reading zone, that being primarily outside and, in my hammock, as much as possible. Summer is also one of my favorite seasons (although when it is hitting the 80+ zone I look more forward to fall) and with all those sunny days and blue skies my endorphins are up and light-hearted is my general outlook. This month’s Word Nerd complication reflects my…

Photo by Chris Clark on Pexels.com When a book grabs my attention, I tend to go a smidge overboard in experiencing it. Such is the case with Helen Macdonald’s memoir about training a a goshawk she named Mabel. I am immersing myself in Macdonald’s H is for Hawk through her book, a BBC documentary about her training a different goshawk, and I will be ordering the film with Claire Foy based on the…