Wordcatcher: An Odyssey into the World of Weird and Wonderful Words
"If you are a writer, wordsmither or even just a wannabe, this book is an awe-inspiring reference to guide you through those scary moments of finding just the right word to woo your readers and show-off your knowledge panache."—Portland Book Review"Cousineau takes us into the obscure territory of word origins with great erudition and endearing curiosity."—Writer's Journal“Phil Cousineau is a word wizard and his book,Wordcatcher, is a delightful adventure into a magical world. As I read his amazing etymological explanations of words from eldritch to floccinaucinihilipilification to lagniappe, I begin to understand why the Bible says ‘In the beginning was the Word.’ Phil has made clear that words don’t merely describe reality. They create it.”—Deepak Chopra, author ofThe Ultimate Happiness Prescription“Stake out a claim next to the standard dictionary you use for this less pedantic companion. It contains fewer words but sends up Fourth of July skyrockets on all of them. But caveat emptor, readers beware! Cousineau’s love affair with words is contagious and you are likely to end up lovesick with words yourself.”—Huston Smith, author ofThe World’s ReligionsandTales of Wonder"A  book that allows us to remember the genius of language-- to see, feel and, it seems,  even "taste" the living-ness and poetry hidden within these many common and uncommon words. A delicious book."----Jacob Needleman, author ofWhat Is God?"I am awed by Phil Cousineau's scholarship and the overall view he hasof inner matters. He has a genius for the soulful dimensions of words,and a rare intelligence for communicating the numinous dimension oflanguage. "Wordcatcher" will grace the lives of all who read it, andinspire them to respect, even revere words as much as its author does."— Robert A.  Johnson, author ofHe,She,andA Slender Thread"Phil Cousineau’sWordcatcheris a wonderful meditation on words that can be read from beginning to end if you are obsessed with speech, greedy for mountain air, and into enlightened verbal play. Not a dry lexical listing, each word Cousineau chooses sings with cellos, vagabonds through tongues and history, and bounces like a balloon on the moon, and as high as his quirky imagination takes us. Compelled reading for residence in the ancient synagogue of the word."--Willis Barnstone, author of theRestored New TestamentandAncient Greek Lyrics