In a Word

In a Word... Language

It may be English. but the Irish version of English can be confusing

In a Word ... Word

‘Words are like leaves and where they most abound, much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found’

In a Word...Collective

For instance, why ‘a murder of crows’? It seems too harsh. Or ‘an unkindness of ravens’?

In a Word...Caesar

You still have an awful lot of fans out there. They gave me an insight into how you probably felt that March day in the forum

In a Word ... November

Scorpios can be ‘complicated, needy and just plain difficult to get along with’. Be careful out there!

Is the demise of the Irish pub upon us?

In a Word... Demise: A relentless series of pub closures represents a fate worse than death for many. At least death is a conclusion

Words are like leaves? On the contrary, Alexander Pope

A letter sent to Hollywood executives in 1934 by a young New York man looking for a job as a screenwriter proves the English satirical poet was fallible

In a Word... Cat

What is it about cats that gives them such innate, superior confidence?

In a Word ... Karma

Judging by the number of August birthdays in our family it would seem November is a favoured month for indulging the family passion

In a Word ... Clandestine

My grandparents fell in love, decided to get married secretly in the local church, went to a céilí and then returned to their homes, separately

In a Word ... Roscommon

Not many people know this but the Roscommon Sheep is utterly unique

In a Word ... Somme

The soldiers that some believed were best left unknown

In a Word ... Fame

Pity the high-profile person who may cross that certain threshold of public attention

Men’s underpants are a dismal science indeed

In a Word: Briefs. The Men’s Underwear Index is seen as an indicator of the health of an economy

An alcohol-free bar? In Ireland? Risky business indeed

In a Word: The Virgin Mary Bar in Dublin has closed due to lack of interest

In a Word ... Daffodil

Most people think of Wordsworth when the words ‘poetry’ and ‘daffodils’ are linked, but 17th century Herrick was there first

In a Word... Dublinese

I realised years ago that even a proficiency in Irish, English and the vernacular was nowhere near enough for communicating with Dubliners

In a Word...Fool

On this first day of April, and along with Gratiano in The Merchant of Venice, let us play the Fool

In a Word... Wake

Enjoying innumerable stiff drinks to the mark the passing of an unloved year

In a Word ... Malapropism

One of the great mangler’s of the King’s English is former taoiseach Bertie Ahern

In a Word... murder

I don’t approve, but am prepared to make exceptions

In a Word... Granny

An increasingly common marvel

In a Word... Seduction

Timing is quite something

In a Word... Suffragette

Putting Beauty Men in their place

In a Word... Te Deum

A good date guide, not necessarily a guide to good dates

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