What in the Name of Merlin

In her attempt to free as many house-elves as possible Hermione start knitting hats and socks which she intends to hide in the Gryffindor common room. By giving them clothes she tries to set them free. Ron is startled when he sees her knitting for the first time: “‘What in the name of Merlin are you doing’? said Ron, watching her as though fearful for her sanity.”[1]

            This exclamation follows along the lines of the muggle phrase ‘what in God’s name’ or ‘what in the name of God’. These phrases are used to enhance what a person tries to express and is often used to convey displeasure and confusion.[2] God is the only being a person has to answer to in order to achieve forgiveness. As a result, the recipient of this exclamation must be doing something God would not approve of.

Once again the wizarding community replaces God with Merlin. They, thus, heightens his importance as the role model of witches and wizards. They might not have to answer to him after death but the statement makes clear that whatever a person is doing would not find Merlin’s approval. Knitting, as in Hermione’s case, would qualify as a disappointment since it’s a muggle activity due to the missing use of magic.

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[1] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. London: Bloomsbury, 2000, p.230.

[2] "Definition of God's Name." The Online Slang Dictionary. Web. 23.03.2015. <http://onlineslangdictionary.com/meaning-definition-of/in-god's-name>.

Poisonous toadstools don’t change their spots

Harry and Ron’s potions teacher Professor Snape who has always demonstrated great antipathy towards Harry joins the Order of the Phoenix. Harry, thus, expects Snape to treat him a bit better than usually since they are now connected in their fight against Lord Voldemort. Nevertheless, Professor Snape continuous to torment Harry which leads to Ron’s conclusion: “’Poisonous toadstools don’t change their spots’”[1]

            This proverb has its origin within the bible and can be found in Jeremiah 13:23 where the prophet Jeremiah tries to persuade a vicious shepherdess to change and become good. His attempts are, however, unfruitful, whereupon he comes to the conclusion: “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.”[2] Just like a leopard that has no chance of changing his spots, a person cannot change his character even if he tried and pretended to have succeeded.

            In the wizarding world the leopard has been replaced by poisonous toadstools. Just like the horse, a leopard has no magical powers and is, thus, unappealing to the wizarding community. This poisonous mushroom, however, plays an important role in Herbology and Potions classes. It is just as dangerous as leopards while both are covered with spots. This substitution is, for that reason, very fitting.

            In his description of Snape Ron does not only refer to Snape’s negative treatment of Harry but also to his inclination towards the dark arts. The other members of the Order know of Snape’s past as supporter of Lord Voldemort but they have to trust in Dumbledore’s convincement of Professor Snape’s abjuration from his old master. Ron and Harry are, nonetheless, very suspicious. Ron is convinced that tormenting Harry and admiring the Dark Lord are character trades Severus Snape cannot get rid of even if he pretends otherwise. 

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[1] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. London: Bloomsbury, 2000, p.212.

[2] King James Version, Jeremiah 13:23.

If … then I’m a Flobberworm

At their first evening at the headquarter of the Order Harry, Hermione and the older Weasleys are being informed about the actions the Order has taken to fight Lord Voldemort. Ginny Weasley, the youngest Weasley child, has not been allowed to attend this meeting but she most certainly will wait for Hermione to fill her in. Her older brother Fred states: “‘If Ginny’s not lying awake waiting for Hermione to tell her everything they said downstairs then I’m a Flobberworm…’”[1]

            This phrase is similar to the British muggle phrase ‘if… then I am a Dutchman’. It is used to express a person’s disbelief and puts a strong emphasis on the assertion. “During the rivalry between England and Holland, the word Dutch was synonymous with all that was false and hateful”[2] For this reason, the first part of the phrase has to include an information which is obviously not true to indicate that the second part of the statement is just as false.

            Fred choses to substitute Dutchman with the word Flobberworm, a magical creature that has an entry in New Scamander’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: “The Flobberworm lives in damp ditches. A thick brown worm reaching up to ten inches in length, the Flobberworm moves very little.”[3] Due to his appearance most students are rather disgusted and bored by this animal. Fred, therefore, choses a creature he clearly dislikes to emphasize the unlikeliness of the first part of his sentence.

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[1] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. London: Bloomsbury, 2000, p.92.

[2] "Dutchman." Infoplease. Web. 22.03.2015. <http://www.infoplease.com/dictionary/brewers/dutchman.html>.

[3] Rowling, J.K. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander, London: Bloomsbury, 2009, p.31.

Time is Galleons

After Harry’s arrival at the headquarter of the Order of the Phoenix he meets the Weasley twins who have passed their Apparation test. Apparation is a form of travelling in the wizarding world which allows a wizard or witch to disappear from his or her current location and reappear at a completely different one. The twins Fred and George use this method in order to get from one part of the house to a different one. When they appear in Ron and Harry's room their younger brother shows his annoyance: “‘It would have taken you about thirty seconds longer to walk down the stairs.’ said Ron. ‘Time is Galleons, little brother,’ said Fred.”[1]

            The source of the proverb ‘time is Galleons’ can be found in the muggle proverb ‘time is money’. It has first been used in 1748 by Benjamin Franklin in Advice to a Young Tradesman where he wrote: “Remember that Time is Money.”[2] He refers to the fact that time is very valuable just like money and should, therefore, not be wasted. [3] In the wizarding world three different coins are used as currency. Instead of using the word money, they focus on the most valuable coin – the Galleon - and change the proverb into ‘time is Galleons.’ Fred and George, thus, refer to the fact that they don’t want to waste their precious time taking the stairs when there is a much faster way of travelling.

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[1] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. London: Bloomsbury, 2000, p.66.

[2] Franklin, Benjamin. To a Young Tradesman. 1748.

[3] "Time Is Money." The Free Dictionary. Web. 22.03.2015. <http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/time is money>.

The cat’s among the pixies

While asking Harry not to ‘cry over spilt potion’ Mrs Figg also tells him that ‘the cat’s among the pixies’.[1] This phrase finds its origin in the idiom ‘the cat’s among the pigeons’. Due to their natural instincts cats would cause pandemonium in a pigeon cot and attack as many pigeons as possible. The phrase, thus, means that something has been done or said “that causes trouble and makes a lot of people angry or worried.”[2]

            However, pigeons have been replaced by pixies. According to Newt Scamander Pixies are “[e]lectric blue in colour, up to eight inches in height and very mischievous. The pixie delights in tricks and practical jokes of all description. Although wingless, it can fly and has been known to seize unvery humans by the ears and deposit them at the tops of tall trees and buildings.”[3] Due to their mischievous character it can be expected that pixies would cause more misery to the cat rather than the other way around.

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[1] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. London: Bloomsbury, 2000, p.27.

[2] "Put the Cat among the Pigeons." The Free Dictionary. Web. 22.03. 2015. <http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/put the cat among the pigeons>.

[3] Rowling, J.K. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander, London: Bloomsbury, 2009, p.62.

No good crying over spilt potion

On their ways home Mrs Figg tells Harry: “’Dumbledore said we were to keep you from doing magic at all costs… well,  it’s no good crying over spilt potion I suppose…’”[1] Once again this proverb derives from the muggle world. ‘It is no use crying over spilt milk’ refers to the fact that once a mistake has been made it is not necessary to be upset about it because it can no longer be changed.[2] The first time it has been included in the Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs as ‘No weeping for shed milk’ was in 1659. Once the milk has been spilt, complaining about it cannot make it undone. One simply has to take care of it.

In order to highlight the significance of the magical world this phrase has been altered and Milk has, therefore, been replaced by potion. Harry has already committed a crime in using a spell in front of a muggle. Dumbledore’s request to protect Harry from performing magic has, thus, failed. Instead of complaining about it, Mrs Figg, Mundungus Fletscher and Harry now have to deal with the repercussions.

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[1] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. London: Bloomsbury, 2000, p.27.

[2] "It's No Use Crying over Spilled Milk." The Free Dictionary. Web. 22.03. 2015. <http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/It's no use crying over spilled milk>.

Might as well be hanged for a dragon as an egg

Mrs Figg instructs Harry to keep his wand in his hand in case of another attack. He will have to take the responsibility for the jinx against the dementors anyway so it wouldn’t cause any more damage if he had to use another spell: “[…]there’s going to be hell to pay anyway, we might as well be hanged for a dragon as an egg.”[1]

            This proverb derives from the sentence ‘might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb’. Both phrases suggest that since one has already been involved in a particular act one might as well do something even worse because the punishment will be just as bad. “In the past, people who stole lambs were killed, so it was worth stealing something more because there was no worse punishment.”[2]

In the wizarding world owning a dragon was highly problematic. In the first novel Hagrid owns a hatching dragon egg. These eggs are, however, classified as a non-tradable goods and the possession of an egg can lead to severe punishment. Owning a fully-grown dragon is in this respect just as bad.[3] It does not lead to a death-sentence but certainly to an imprisonment in Azkaban. Wizards and witches are much more interested in dragons rather than sheep. The grown sheep is, therefore, substituted by a dragon and the lamb replaced by an egg.

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[1] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. London: Bloomsbury, 2000, p.25.

[2] "I Might as Well Be Hanged for a Sheep as a Lamb." The Free Dictionary. Web. 21.03. 2015. <http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/I might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb>.

[3] Rowling, J.K. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander, London: Bloomsbury, 2009, p.19.

Fell from the back of a broom

At the beginning of the fifth novel Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Harry and his cousin Dudley get attacked by dark creatures called Dementors. In order to save their lives Harry has du use magic against them. After their disappearance Harry meets Mrs Figg, one of his neighbours, who reveals to be a squib – the child of a witch or wizard who does not have magical powers. Due to her upbringing in the wizarding world she knows a lot of proverbs used within this world. She complains about Mundungus Fletcher who had been responsible to guard over Harry: “‘[He] left to see someone about a batch of cauldrons that fell off the back of a broom! I told him I’d flay him alive if he went, and now look!’”[1] ‘Falling off the back of a broom’ is an equivalent to the muggle phrase ‘falling off the back of a lorry/truck’. They refer to products which have been acquired illegally through theft and indicate the kind of business Mundungus Fletcher is in.[2]

            Instead of using lorries wizards tend to use brooms in order to transport their goods. The only known and legal magical vehicle is the Knight Bus, which helps the transport wizards and witches as quickly as possible to their destinations. In order to transport goods witches and wizards can use their magical powers to alter the size and weight of the goods in question which makes it easier to transport them on a broom. It is, therefore, fitting to replace lorry with broom.

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[1] Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. London: Bloomsbury, 2000, p.24.

[2] Martin, Gary. "Fell off the Back of a Truck." The Phrase Finder. Web. 20.03. 2015. <http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/fell-off-the-back-of-a-truck.html>.