“Bill Casselman is one of Canada ’s foremost lexicographers and word hounds. In addition to a career as a broadcaster and producer for CBC, he is the author of eight books on Canadian language.” Jennifer Maclennan, Inside Language: A Canadian Language Reader. Prentice Hall Allyn and Bacon Canada , 2002.
“Casselman is a refreshing antidote to the dreary word cops and tired language pedants. He is funny, relaxed, and wonderfully entertaining.” Michael Enright, host, CBC Radio’s “The Sunday Edition”
“Bill Casselman, whose many books on Canadian words make him the go-to guy on such matters.” Warren Clements, “Word Play” column, Globe & Mail, June 11, 2005
“For a full appreciation of how and why Canadians came by their unique linguistic heritage, there can be no better guide than Bill Casselman.” Moira Farr, Equinox magazine
“Bill Casselman, Bluenose among schooners on the sea of popular etymology, moors his mighty vessel, nets a-teeming with Canadian words.” Indigo Bookstores Internet Review
“I have all of Bill Casselman’s brilliant, funny word books, and I’m planning to get to them soon.” Ken Finkleman, creator of CBC TV’s Newsroom and More Tears
“Bill Casselman is the world's greatest Canadian word expert." Craig Marlatt at Canadainfo http://www.craigmarlatt.com/canada/literature/casselman.html
“Bill, I bought Canadian Sayings because, when I glanced through it in Coles, I found myself standing in a bookstore aisle with tears of laughter running down my face.” Elizabeth Creith, Thessalon, Ontario 2004
RAVE REVIEW from the Montréal newspaper Le Devoir C’est la vie! - Aussi Canadienne qu’une vache folle Comment devenir Canadienne en chantant Bye bye, mon cow-boy
Josée Blanchette Acheté : le livre d’expressions canadiennes Canadian Sayings 3, de Bill Casselman. J’ai raté les nos 1 et 2, j’imagine qu’ils sont encore meilleurs. Plus d’une vingtaine d’expressions colorées sur le mariage, plus de 200 sur la masturbation... les hivers sont encore plus longs que le mariage ! Tiens, en voici une à ressortir quand il fait janvier sous zéro : «Tits up and smiling at the moon.» Pour rester dans le thème de la frigidité : «She’s an ice cube with a hole in it.» Et pour illustrer la stupidité : «He’s skating on the wrong surface of the ice», ou encore : «She’s taking a surfing vacation in Saskatchewan .» Mon ex, the one and only anglo, disait : «Do bears shit in the woods ?» pour répondre à une évidence. Ils gagnent à être connus.
"Bill Casselman is a veteran writer, editor and broadcaster who says of himself, "the curriculum of my vitae zigzags in a most uncool pattern." Whatever pattern he's zigged in, he's managed to pick up a story or two along the way, and he's collected the best aphorisms in the country in the new, third edition of his book, Canadian Sayings 3." Fanny Kiefer, Studio 4, Shaw Cable, B.C.
Dear Mr. Casselman: Only yesterday did I discover Volume 3 in your marvelous series of national verbal folklore, and only last night did I finish reading Canadian Sayings 3. Thanks for giving me, and countless other Canadians, good laughs with your compilations... Yours aye, Senior Pastor,
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Windsor, Ontario
December 19, 2005 Bill, keep up the great work you are doing in collecting a wonderful lexicon of what makes us Canadian, how we communicate with each other. It is a very unique part of our culture and deserves celebration.
Glenn Lario, Parksville, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
February 2006 Dear Bill, I loved your essay on Mozart’s name! It was learned—as usual—and funny and fascinating. I had just finished reading Jane Glover’s biography of Mozart, Mozart’s Women so Mozart was much on my mind. Given what one gathers about the extraordinary mix in his character I think the mix in the names is highly appropriate. Thanks for including the glorious Chagall poster! [ made to advertise a production of The Magic Flute – author’s addendum ] A.J. Mallinson
February 2006 Great website!! Officially in my “favorites” list now. April 23, 2007 “I do not possess the preternatural nimbleness you seem to have with words... I completely empathize with your love of them and have rarely found anyone with even close to the same degree of appreciation.” Tracey in an email
May 20, 2007 “Bill Casselman…fascinating website on books and words” Brian Sibley , BBC broadcaster, author of the bestseller Shadowlands, about C.S. Lewis ‘ love affair with Joy D.
December 6, 2007 An excellent article on the term wog at Bill Casselman’s Wording Room. Comment by Sarah W Dec 12. 2007 That Bill Casselman site is the best link ever.
January 2008 “Bill Casselman is one of the country’s leading etymologists and word hounds, as is shown by his numerous books on Canadian language, including the celebrated Canadian Sayings. . .” Jennifer MacLennan in Readings for Technical Communication , Oxford University Press, 2008
March 2008 “… the amazing Bill Casselman, proprietor of an excellent collection of Canadian esoterica, and a funny guy, to boot.” from blogmeister Andy 3000
Nov 26, 2008 Posted on her blog by Hope: “For an enjoyable, in depth history of the word farce by famous etymologist, Bill Casselman, visit FARCE.”
January 23, 2009 Dear Mr. Casselman:
March 15, 2009 - - - The Meaning of Mozart's Surname Your webpage on "Mozart" onomatology. Hilarious and informative. It's nice to encounter an intellectual’s writings on the web. David Lappa
from "under the Southern Cross" in Australia, January 26, 2009 Bill - Thanks for the Australia Day good wishes! It's also called Invasion Day by the indigenous Australians - not a happy day for them. The article on the Chinese New Year and words was very interesting and the Chinese illustrations are beautiful. I also love that hibiscus tea pot - what a work of art!
You do a great website, Bill.
Sending sunshine! S.L.B.
March 27, 2009 Hi Bill, I'm writing a book about geophagy, and I came across your handy explanation of the etymology of George. I'd like to cite you, but prefer to cite a book over a website. Can you tell me which book you discussed that in? Very cool website. Thanks, Sera Sera Young, MA PhD Assistant Researcher Department of Pediatrics University of California , Davis
Visiting Fellow Division of Nutritional Sciences Cornell University
Oct 1, 2009 A pleasant blurb from northern Nebraska, on the blog of Cre8tive Cowgirl: "Today I busted out the tuque. It is cold and windy and totally worthy of the phrase “Attache ta tuque!” which means get ready for action, according to Bill Casselman. As I typed the words it dawned on me that I should spell check the word. I’m not Canadian ya know, so I did a quick search to find the proper spelling. What I found was this very cool website page. Casselman provides a wonderful explanation and background for this new favorite item of mine!"
October, 2009 Praise for my etymology column on the C word, praise from a woman — O Traitorous Wench! I can just hear feminists screaming. Too bad. Nyah-nyah. At http://twitter.com/moritherapy a lady writes: “an absolutely lovely treatise on the word ‘cunt.’ Thank you, mademoiselle! To read about the absolutely fascinating history of this powerful word cunt, click here.
Nov. 15, 2010 On Twitter, Doug O'Neill, a happy buyer of my new Dobdob book, writes, "Even funnier flipping through it a second time around." Thanks, Doug!
Jan. 3, 2011 “Mr Casselman, David Gamey, Canada Mr. Gamey refers to Where a Dobdob Meets a Dikdik. For a free 7-page sample of my book, click on the title.
Thursday, February 3, 2011 Dear Mr. Casselman, . . . I revisited the paraprosdokian page, and have finally quit laughing again at “Casselman's Conclusion.” You were not unkind to the "profligate prof-lets." During my years as an acquisitions editor, in rejection letters I often quoted Prof. Moses Hadas, classicist at Columbia University, who wrote a young scholar in response to having been sent the prof-let's first book, "Thank you for sending me your book. I will waste no time reading it." Thank you,
May 27, 2011 Michelle at http://pythonampersandpearls.blogspot.com/2011/05/thou-whoreson-zed-thou-unnecessary.html writes: “Bill Casselman is like a Canadian-word spokesman or something. He has a page dedicated to the difference between zed and zee; apparently I am not the ONLY person who is concerned with this. He is officially on my list of Awesome Individuals…”
June 13, 2011 Neapolitan online wrote on 2011-06-13
Casselman's Canadian Words by Bill Casselman, 1995.
From amazon.com Spring, 2011 Bill Casselman book, short review: Where a Dobdob Meets a Dikdik “Very humorous. Full of esoteric information. I didn't read it form cover to cover but at random spots or under headings that suited my fancy at the time. I have enjoyed it immensely!”
September 29, 2011 Praise on Twitter from J.L. Turcotte: “I’ve been watching UR site 4 awhile - love it!! (esp. the Québécois - I know the idioms but could never explain them to friends!)
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January 06, 2012 Hello BC .......
What a site! What a collection of books!!
. . . I will buy your new book, I promise, will download it onto my Kindle.
Regards,
A very poor amateur wordsmith
Peter
.......................................................... March 08, 2012 I really enjoyed your online article on the origins of "bastard" and other "-ard" words! You have a great prose style! Therese Doucet on social network ..........................................................
Any comments, corrections, emendations, additional word lore, orders for my books? Please email me at wordguy@shaw.ca
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