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.

---

[1] ibid., p.42.

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