Where there is wand, there is a way

During his preparations for the second task of the Triwizard Tournament Harry falls asleep on top of a book called Where there is a Wand, There is a Way which plays on the muggle phrase ‘Where there is a will, there is a way’. This proverb has first been used in Michael Scott’s Cruise of the Midge in 1836.[1] It means that “if you are determined enough, you can find a way to achieve what you want, even if it is very difficult.”[2]

            The proverb changes slightly in the wizarding world where the will has been replaced by a wand. The proverb reads as follows ‘Where there is a wand, there is a way’. This shows the great dependence of wizards and witches upon their wands without which they are vulnerable. With a wand and the right spell they are able to accomplish anything. The wand and the will are preconditions for a successful solution of the problem. 

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[1] Collins, V. H. A Book of English Proverbs: with Origins and Explanations. London: Longmans 1961, p. 129.

[2] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. London: Bloomsbury, 2000, p.534.

Not touch something or someone with a ten-foot broomstick

In the fourth novel Harry has to deal with a particularly annoying journalist named Rita Skeeter. She publishes an article exposing Hagrid as half-giant. Harry is furious and confronts her: “‘I wouldn’t come near you with a ten-foot broomstick,’ said Harry furiously. ‘What did you do that to Hagrid for, eh?’”[1]

            The expression ‘ten-foot broomstick’ has been influenced by the phrase ‘ten-foot pole’ used in the non-magical world.  The first time ‘not touch with a ten-foot pole’ has been used was in “the mid-1700s, when it began to replace the earlier not to be handled with a pair of tongs. In the 1800s barge-pole was sometimes substituted for ten-foot pole, but that variant has died out.”[2]

According to the Oxford Dictionaries a bargepole is described as “a long pole used to propel a barge and fend of obstacles.”[3] A ten-foot pole had the same purpose and was, thus, necessary to avoid unpleasant things. The replacement of the pole with a broomstick shows the importance of brooms within the wizarding world. All these expressions refer to the fact that a person is unwilling to approach something or someone else. This might be due to a lack of trust or a general dislike towards the other person.

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[1] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. London: Bloomsbury, 2000,p.491.

[2] "Not Touch with a Ten-foot Pole." Dictionary.com. Houghton Mifflin Company. Web. 20 Mar. 2015. <dictionary.reference.com/browse/not touch with a ten-foot pole>.

[3] "Bargepole." Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. Web. 20 Mar. 2015. <http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/de/definition/englisch/bargepole>.

Working like a house-elf

The idiom ‘working like slaves’ has been altered to fit into the magical world and has been replaced by the idiom ‘working like house-elves’. Both expressions indicate very difficult, exhausting and hard work without financial compensation.

As already mentioned house-elves are the property of a wizard family and have to obey all their orders. It is, therefore, appropriate to use the term house-elf instead of slave due to the similarity of their fate. The use of house-elves as substitution for human slaves shocks Hermione who was raised in the non-magical world where slavery has already been abolished. She is particularly annoyed when Ron is comparing doing his homework to the work of house-elves: “‘We’ve been working like house-elves here!’ Hermione raised her eyebrows. ‘It’s just an expression,’ said Ron hastily.”[1]

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Ron repeats a similar exclamation “’I feel like a house-elf’” when his mother tells him to help clean the house.[2] He refers to the same circumstances. Both events suggest that it is a popular expression in the wizarding community describing unpleasant, difficult and unpaid work.

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[1] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. London: Bloomsbury, 2000, p. 246.

[2] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix. London: Bloomsbury, 2000, p.145.

I could eat a Hippogriff

Being able to eat a Hippogriff is a derivation from the non-magical idiom ‘I could eat a horse’. This phrase is used to express great hunger. Due to its large size eating and entire horse or hippogriff poses a great challenge and is, therefore, a mere exaggeration to express great hunger. In the fourth novel Ron is in such a state of great hunger after his arrival in Hogwarts: “‘Oh, hurry up,’ Ron moaned, beside Harry. ‘I could eat a Hippogriff.’”[1]

            The wizarding world is populated by a large quantity of animals which cannot be seen by muggles. There are, however, myths circulating in the non-magical world which also include the hippogriff. This animal first appeared in the poem Orlando Furioso by Ariosto during the time of the Renaissance. He imagined it to be a hybrid of a griffin and a horse. A griffin is a hybrid of a lion and an eagle. This animal can only be tamed by wizards and knights[2] However, while muggles consider it to be a fantasy character it is a real animal in the wizarding world. It appears at first in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban during a lesson in Care of Magical Creatures. Newt Scamander describes Hippogriffs in his schoolbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: “It has the head of a giant eagle and the body of a horse. It can be tamed, though this should be attempted only by experts. Eye contact should be maintained when approaching a Hippogriff. Bowing shows good intentions. If the Hippogriff returns the greeting, it is safe to draw closer.”[3]

Due to its tamability wizards can use it in the same way that muggles would use horses. For this reason, wizards and witches have no use for horses. It is, thus, reasonable to exchange the phrase ‘eat a horse’ with the phrase ‘eat a Hippogriff’.

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[1] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. London: Bloomsbury, 2000, p.195.

[2] Edwards, Karen. Milton’s Reformed Animals: An Early Bestiary: Hippogriff. In: Milton Quarterly. May 2007, Vol. 41 Issue 2, p.94-95.

[3] Rowling, J.K. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander, London: Bloomsbury, 2009, p.37-38.

Memory like a leaky Cauldron

The idiom ‘to have a memory like a leaky cauldron’ is a derivation from ‘to have a mind/memory like a sieve’. “A sieve is a utensil with many fine holes. A person accused of having a memory like a sieve is either unable to retain information or is very forgetful.”[1]

            In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Mr Weasley is concerned about the whereabouts of a witch called Bertha Jorkings who has gone missing. He, therefore, asks her Head of Department Ludo Bagman whether they have found her yet. Bagman responds: “‘[…] she’ll turn up. Poor old Berthy … memory like a leaky cauldron and no sense of direction.’”[2] This indicates her inclination to forget important information. Instead of comparing the memory to a sieve wizards chose to compare it to a leaky cauldron. Cauldrons are still often used devices within the wizarding community mostly used for potion-making. The leaky cauldron refers to Bertha’s head which is no longer able to retain the liquid meaning the memory.

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[1] "Have a Memory like a Sieve." English Daily. Web. 19.03.2015. <http://www.englishdaily626.com/idioms.php?013#Have a memory like a sieve>.

[2] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. London: Bloomsbury, 2000, p.102.

Merlin's Beard

Throughout the Harry Potter series there are a lot of exclamations focussing on the famous wizard Merlin. Amos Diggory is the first wizard using the phrase ‘Merlin’s beard’ to express his astonishment when he is being introduced to the famous Harry Potter.[1] Just like in the non-magical world Merlin is very famous and admired. He is the founding father of the Order of Merlin which has been awarded to exceptionally talented and brave wizards. According to his chocolate frog card which belongs to a collection of cards summarizing accomplishments of famous wizards and witches he is famous for being part of the Court of King Arthur.[2] J. K. Rowling furthermore published a piece on pottermore.com stating that Merlin had once belonged to the house of Slytherin during his time at Hogwarts.[3]

            Merlin is often associated with long robes, white hair and a long beard, very similar to Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. Both wizards are associated with great power and wisdom.[4] The expression ‘Merlin’s Beard’ is therefore a colloquialism highlighting his special role within the wizarding world. It is equivalent to exclamations such as ‘Oh Lord’ or ‘Holy Christ’ as they are used by muggles.

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[1] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. London: Bloomsbury, 2000, p.83.

[2] "Chocolate Frog Card Merlin." Pottermore. Web. 17.03.2015. <http://www.pottermore.com/en/trunk/cards/item/merlin-card>.

[3] Rowling, J.K. "Order of Merlin." Pottermore. Web. 17.03.2015. <http://www.pottermore.com/en/book6/chapter30/moment1/order-of-merlin>.

[4] see also: "Merlin." Myth Encyclopedia. Web. 19.03.2015. <http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Le-Me/Merlin.html>.

Miss for a sackful of Galleons

In the fourth novel Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire the idiom ‘not miss for the world’ is changed into ‘not miss for a sackful of Galleons’. The muggle idiom expresses the great anticipation of an event. The person in question is determined to attend this event even if someone else offered something extraordinary like the entire world in order to keep him from going.

In the novel Amos Diggory, a colleague of Mr Weasley who is also working for the Ministry of Magic is looking forward to such a sporting event: “’Quidditch World Cup, wouldn’t miss it for a sackful of Galleons – and the tickets cost about that.’”[1] Galleons, apart from Sickles and Knuts, are very valuable golden coins which are used as currency in the wizarding world. A sackful of Galleons is extremely valuable and is, for this reason, a very tempting offer in exchange for the absence from a game. However, Diggory alleviates this argument immediately stating that the price for the tickets was just as high. The offer of a sackful of Galleons would, thus, only compensate the investment he has already made and loses the temptation it was ascribed to at first. 

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[1] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. London: Bloomsbury, 2000, p.83.

Dressed like a house-elf

Dobby the house-elf describes creatures of his kind in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as “’[…]the lowly, the enslaved, […] dregs of the magical world!’”[1]  In the magical world house-elves belong to a wizard family and serve them until they die. They have to follow every command and depend on the mercy of their master. As a sign of their belonging house-elves have to wear tea-towels or other rags. Thus, they have to wear the same piece of clothing from the moment of their birth until the moment they die. This leads to their rather sordid appearance.

In the third novel Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Draco Malfoy makes a snide remark about their new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher: “’He dresses like our old house-elf.’”[2] The comparison ‘being dressed like an elf’ refers to a shabby appearance of a wizard or witch. Professor Lupin’s robes are described as frayed and patched and can, thus, be compared to house-elf clothing.

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[1] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. London: Bloomsbury, 1998, p. 19-23.

[2] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. London: Bloomsbury, 1999, p.156.

De-gnoming the Garden

The word de-gnoming is a neologism referring to the freeing of the garden from gnomes. It is comparable to the de-weeding of the garden done by muggle gardeners. Gnomes in the magical world look nothing like the figurines often found in non-magical gardens. They are living creatures which are considered to be garden pests. Mrs Weasley, the mother of Ron and his six siblings instructs her sons: “[…] You’re going to de-gnome the garden for me, they’re getting completely out of hand again.”[1] The book Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them gives clear instruction on de-gnoming: “The gnome can be expelled from the garden by swinging it in circles until dizzy and then dropping it over the garden wall.”[2] De-gnoming is, thus, an expression refering to the activity of making gnomes woozy before throwing them as far as possible. This way they are unable to find their way back into the garden.

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[1] ibid., p.42.

[2] Rowling, J.K. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander, London: Bloomsbury, 2009, p.34.

To magic oneself out of something

At the beginning of the second novel Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Harry gets locked up in his room by his uncle. In an attempt to free him the Weasley’s Ron, George and Fred decide to rescue him with a flying car. Due to ministry regulation underage wizards are not allowed to perform magic outside school. Harry is, therefore, quite desperate and asks them to inform the headmaster:

“‘[…] Look, can you explain to them at Hogwarts that the Dursleys have locked me up and won’t let me come back, and obviously I can’t magic myself out, because the Ministry’ll think that’s the second spell I’ve done in three days, so-‘

‘Stop gibbering’, said Ron, ‘we’ve come to take you home with us.’

‘But you can’t magic me out either-‘” [1]

To ‘magic oneself out’ is a neologism used by J. K. Rowling that derives from the phrases ‘to deliver out of’ and ‘to break out’. Both focus on an escape from an enclosed space. In the magical world it is much easier to escape with the use of magic. This neologism is, therefore, very accurate.

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[1] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. London: Bloomsbury, 1998, p.32.

Gulping Gargoyles

Hagrid commences to inform Harry about his past and his role in the defeat of a dark wizard known as Lord Voldemort. Due to this gruesome history most wizards and witches are rendered unable to say the name of Voldemort, Hagrid being one of them. He tries to explain this reaction to Harry: “‘Gulpin gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult.[…]’”[1] Once again he uses an exclamation of shock while he is dropping the word ending of the first word. The personification of a gargoyle is not uncommon in the wizarding world. Gargoyles are often able to speak and move and could, therefore, easily gulp.

The exclamation gulping gargoyles mirrors the reaction of people in frightening situations. While gargoyles are supposed to spout water, wizards and witches are supposed to say the name of Lord Voldemort. However, instead of spouting it the gargoyle gulps the water which will no longer come out. In the book people are often described the same way: “’[…]His name was …’ Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.”[2] After gulping something down a person has to gasp for air. This situation is also often depicted in the novel, for example when Ron and Harry meet on their train to Hogwarts. Harry has no fear of saying the name and mentions it in front of Ron who then gasps.[3] Gulping gargoyles is therefore a very accurate description of the situation Hagrid is in.

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[1] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. London: Bloomsbury, 1997, p.45.

[2] ibid.

[3] ibid., p.75.

Galloping Gorgons

Hagrid, the gamekeeper of Hogwarts, comes to pick up Harry from his aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon Dursley. He is the first one to inform Harry about the fate of his parents and his magical powers. The Dursleys who had always withheld this particular information from Harry and had tried to raise him like an ordinary boy belong to the non-magical world and are, therefore, called muggles. In their capacity as muggles they are proud to have no knowledge of the wizarding world which is why they do not use proverbs or expressions used within this world.

However, Hagrid being the first one from this world whom Harry meets is quick to use such a phrase as soon as he realizes that he was supposed to write a letter to Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts: “‘Gallopin’ Gorgons, that reminds me,’ said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl – a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl – a long quill and a roll of parchment.”[1] According to an Interview of Rowling with the newspaper Scotland on Sunday Hagrid is described as character drawn from the area of Chepstow, Wales where word-endings are being dropped [2] which leads to the conclusion that he must be referring to galloping gorgons.  In this context it is an exclamation of shock and abruptness due to a sudden memory.

The term gorgons dates back to Greek mythology firstly used in Homer’s Illiad. These creatures were described as three daemons one of them known as Medusa. “The three Gorgones were depicted in ancient Greek […] as winged women with broad round heads, serpentine locks of hair, large staring eyes, wide mouths, the tusks of swine, lolling tongues, flared nostrils, and sometimes short coarse beards.”[3] Hooves are not part of this description. The verb galloping can, however, only be ascribed to hoofed animals. It is, therefore, inaccurate of Hagrid do combine galloping and gorgons.

There is one exception that would justify this combination of words. Hagrid might refer to the hoofed animal with which Medusa was pregnant at the time of her decapitation – Pegasos. According to one of the myths Pegasos sprang from Medusa’s neck the moment she was beheaded. This exclamation might, therefore, refer to the galloping child of a gorgon. It is, nonetheless, inaccurate. Hagrid might also refer to the phrase time is running. In this case time is galloping, so it is passing even more quickly. It is, therefore, high time to write a letter to Dumbledore. However, there is no clear connection between the rapidity of passing time and gorgons.

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[1] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. London: Bloomsbury, 1997, p.43.

[2] Goring, Rosemary. "Harry's Fame," Scotland on Sunday, 17 January 1999. Web. 15.03. 2015. <http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/1999/0199-scotlandsunday-goring.html

[3] Atsma, Aaron J. "Medousa & Gorgones." Web. 16.03.2015. <http://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Gorgones.html>.