Phil Cousineau on weird words @ Booksmith | Haight

Submitted by the Event Organizer

Who knew that the great country of Canada is named for a mistake? Or that the adventures of ancient Greek sailors live on in the word “nostalgia”? How about “bedswerver,” the best Elizabethan insult to hurl at a cheating boyfriend?

By exploring the delightful back stories of the 250 words in Wordcatcher, Phil Cousineau takes us on a tour into the obscure territory of word origins with great erudition and endearing curiosity. Reading and conversing shouldn’t be a strain and a struggle; they should be joys, ways to share and savor the conviviality of communication. The original sense of trivia was the enthusiastic trading of news at the crossroads, and with Wordcatcher, readers can pluck the jewels from Cousineau’s work to use on their own.

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