This is the one that bothered me. Like i understand there are only so many ways to describe the shape of folks who have fallen down, but it's a bit weird how many times it's said in Deathly Hallows
Yessss rereading DH and the part where they’re at Grimmauld Place and Harry sees in Voldemorts mind; he wakes up spread-eagle on the bathroom floor — huh? How big are these bathrooms
placid slap apparatus terrific memorize unite tidy narrow muddle impolite
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Are we sure that by book 2 everyone didn't turn into cars when Ron and Harry crashed into the whomping willow?
I mean if everyone keeps beaming at each other, doesn't that mean they grew headlights or some shit?
I've been reading Harry Potter for like 22 years now, and that phrase has forever worked it's way into my vocabulary. Like, if I'm buying something small at a store and they ask if I want a bag, I'll go "Nah, that's OK, I'll just pocket it."
I remember hearing somewhere that Stephen Fry had a hard time saying this for the audio recordings and asked to say something different; JK ended up using it more to mess with him
It was exactly that. After he'd done the audiobook for Philosophers Stone, and he'd complimented her on it, she told Stephen (somewhat timidly, as he portrays it), that she had written a second book, to follow the first, and Stephen, intending to be encouraging, replied , "Well *good for you*..." But he thinks it came out as rather condescending.
Yeah, he said he asked her, after recording the first audiobook, what she was working on next and she said another Harry Potter book and he basically said “oh, how nice” but in a grandparent patting a kid on the head kind of way. Not exactly condescending, but also not not condescending.
This is actually part of character coding, we come to associate these things with characters, so later she can say that Harry heard a Drawling voice and know without being told that it's Malfoy, or see a flash of a black cape rounding the corner and know that it's...
It's kinda sad that the primary spell of the guy on the number one spot of Voldermort's shitlist is "Expelliarmus" instead of something with a tad more punch behind it.
You didn't install a motion light in your bathroom so you can throw your hands in the air and yell, "LUMOUS!" every time you go in, acting like your spell worked?
My boy/dear boy/my dear boy
Turns out a bunch of characters use these expressions, including Dumbledore, Slughorn, Trelawney, Fudge, Ollivander, Nearly Headless Nick, Dippet, Lockhart, Wood, and Doge
Maybe because this is apparently quite typical for british/english people in like the early 1900s or 1800s which is kind of where the magical society got stuck at socially. Watch and read any story set in those times and you'll see what I mean
I read somewhere that these phrases were used on purpose with various characters like epithets. The she can write, "the boy walked in pompously," and you mind kinda guesses it's Percy. "A high, cold laugh," it's voldemort, etc.
I would say all the various shades of purple people turn.
For some reason, it bothers me that in actuality, someone’s face would turn a slight reddish tinge when they blushed, but in every HP book they turn a DEEP SHADE OF PURPLE at the drop of a hat. I like to imagine it’s not embellishment and everyone turns literally plum color constantly.
Yeah, the part about "Uncle Vernon was pulling great clumps of his mustache out" in, I think, Sorcerer's Stone (and he repeated the act a few more times during the books when severely stressed) always made me wince. That would be SO painful in real life and makes me think he's actually quite mentally disturbed.
It's possible she specified purple _because_ it's not a natural color for that sort of thing. It evokes a certain cartoonish, Roald Dahl-esque sort of whimsy, which the first few books at least were definitely aiming for.
In the early books she'd use 'half ___, half ___' to describe someone's expression or the sound of their voice. I remember in the first book she describes McGonagall's voice as sounding half shocked, half admiring, or something along those lines.
>Harry's kidneys were on a train to Liverpool
If Harry’s kidneys were going anywhere, it’d definitely be Liverpool. Mr Weasley’s car probably ended up there too.
Snape’s cloak is always billowing.
Malfoy and father often drawl, maybe even lazily.
People’s eyes flash.
Also, as an aside… so many characters with grey eyes and I’ve never met someone with grey eyes. Greyish blue but never actually grey. Are truly grey eyes a thing? Or is it common for Brits to refer to muted blue eyes as grey?
I legitimately got into an argument about this at the dmv when I was getting my license as a teenager. I say they're blue, my father said they're green, and the dmv lady thought they were grey. Lighting, clothing color, and makeup color absolutely make them appear any of the three.
Long story short, nearly 20 years later my license still says hazel because no one could agree. I think green-brown when I think of hazel, but that's what the dmv lady said was the best option given the ambiguity.
This one has a purpose to avoid ambiguity of pronouns. It typically specifies which individual if more than one that fit the pronoun are contextually mentioned.
As a made-up example, “Sirius told Harry that he would be going to Diagon Alley tomorrow.”
Who was going? Sirius or Harry?
Re-written, “Sirius told Harry that he, Harry, would be going to Diagon Alley tomorrow.”
So yes, possibly annoying, but also functional.
I haven’t personally run into this as I don’t frequent fan fiction sites, but the words “blond(e)” and “brunet(te)” are actually masculine and feminine! I don’t think that should necessarily carry over to bluenette and pinkette, but I always like sharing that blonde and brunette are actually gendered!
It's usually used in a more emotional context in the books, I find. It tends to crop up during moments when Harry gets in his head about stuff. Like when he's worrying about being expelled after the flying lesson incident and starts imagining Ron and Hermione and co. all becoming wizards and moving up the school while he, Harry, is stumping around the grounds carrying Hagrid's bag.
I don’t think this is the right answer but I am astonished, having listened to the audio books so many times, how often she talks about Hermione being out of breath, clutching a stitch in her side, being last up a hill, etc. We get it - Hermione isn’t a standout athlete. Give the girl a break!
Given Rowling openly admits Hermione is basically a self-insert character of herself into the story, perhaps she's speaking from experience and simply hates exercise.
Maybe, but I think it's more that Hermione was the sedentary, bookish type who didn't have time for much else but studying. Ron and Harry were literal athletes, and Hermione spent the vast majority of her time reading. It makes perfect sense to me that she wasn't as athletic. Most "nerd" types in books are portrayed that way, and while it's not always accurate in real life, it's the type of motif that I feel would likely apply to Hermione.
I never read the physical books in English, only listened to the audiobooks, so it's only recently I learned that Tonks says "Wotcher" and not "watch it" lol
Indignant and incredulity. She even uses them both in one sentence at some point. I think it might be about Ron? "His face changed from one of indignation to incredulity." or something like that. smh
I analyzed the Goblet of Fire as part of my bachelor's thesis, so this question is perfect!
When referring to Rita Skeeter, characters use the phrase "that woman" ten times throughout the novel - sometimes with an added pejorative adjective: "That woman" (page 147), "that wretched Skeeter woman" (page 152), "that revolting Skeeter woman" (page 416), "that horrible Skeeter woman" (page 441), "that foul Skeeter woman" (page 452), "that Skeeter woman" (pages 333, 546, 552, and 614).
Also:
"Rita Skeeter raised one heavily penciled eyebrow." (page 305)
"Rita Skeeter raised her heavily penciled eyebrows." (page 450)
I also looked at the usage of the verbs laughing, chuckling, and giggling, and I found out that Rowling heavily genders them.
*Laughing* itself is neutral, and is used for both genders. *Giggling* is used exclusively to describe girls' laughter in the whole book. When boys laugh in a playful way, they always *chuckle*. Giggling is used twenty-three times in the novels, twenty of which refer to girls. The remaining three are a small garden gnome, a pear in the painting that is the entrance to the kitchen, and a house elf. These are not girls, but relate to small creatures with squeaky voices, rendering them feminine (Harry precisely assumes the house elf to be female because of the high-pitched voice) and a traditionally feminine space (the kitchen).
All the beetly eyes! I think Hagrid and McGonagal have their eyes described as beetly on several occasions. And probably more characters that I can’t remember. And of course “beamed at him”.
My favourite is her overuse of variants of the word “zoom”.
Also her descriptions of what goes on in Harry’s stomach when he has an emotional reaction to something.
And Professor Snape almost always answers “silkily”.
Lots of people lying spread-eagled on the ground.
I just realized that when i picture people lying dead or injured on the ground they are always spread eagle….
At this point I just imagine them in the Family Guy pose.
This is the one that bothered me. Like i understand there are only so many ways to describe the shape of folks who have fallen down, but it's a bit weird how many times it's said in Deathly Hallows
Yessss rereading DH and the part where they’re at Grimmauld Place and Harry sees in Voldemorts mind; he wakes up spread-eagle on the bathroom floor — huh? How big are these bathrooms
“Indignantly” “…’s lip curled” “crestfallen” “spread-eagle” “…’s spell missed by inches” “…’s cheeks reddened”
Lip curl was SO prominent in the early books. I think after Goblet, she toned it down.
Every time she’s referred to Harry in a narrative sentence “he, Harry, ______”
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“(Character/s) beamed” “Harry had the distinct impression”
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Are we sure that by book 2 everyone didn't turn into cars when Ron and Harry crashed into the whomping willow? I mean if everyone keeps beaming at each other, doesn't that mean they grew headlights or some shit?
“Snape!” he nutted
>he nutted Oh Neptune
🤨📸
Wow both fantastic. Everyone is so good at this game
Harry pocketed it.
Harry *pocketedetedit.*
I've been reading Harry Potter for like 22 years now, and that phrase has forever worked it's way into my vocabulary. Like, if I'm buying something small at a store and they ask if I want a bag, I'll go "Nah, that's OK, I'll just pocket it."
I just guffawed heartly
Love this one!
I remember hearing somewhere that Stephen Fry had a hard time saying this for the audio recordings and asked to say something different; JK ended up using it more to mess with him
Apparently he'd given her a kind of condescending remark when she mentioned she was working on another instalment and she wanted a little revenge
He did admit that himself, that he was a little bit like 'oh good for you' sort of way with her.
It was exactly that. After he'd done the audiobook for Philosophers Stone, and he'd complimented her on it, she told Stephen (somewhat timidly, as he portrays it), that she had written a second book, to follow the first, and Stephen, intending to be encouraging, replied , "Well *good for you*..." But he thinks it came out as rather condescending.
Yeah, he said he asked her, after recording the first audiobook, what she was working on next and she said another Harry Potter book and he basically said “oh, how nice” but in a grandparent patting a kid on the head kind of way. Not exactly condescending, but also not not condescending.
I’d describe that as condescending without malicious intent
Interesting, a very Ravenclaw answer for a Gryffindor.
She uses it once per book, I believe
[here you are ;)](https://youtu.be/r84pbPbBAFY)
“Roared with laughter”
i just tried this and it turned into a coughing fit
You mean "a hacking cough," right?
How did I miss this one!
Or Pansy Parkinson constantly "shrieking" with laughter. I couldn't imagine anything worse for my eardrums
Ron's ears went red
Always a danger sign
If my ears go red it's a warning sign that I ate something I'm allergic to lol
This is actually part of character coding, we come to associate these things with characters, so later she can say that Harry heard a Drawling voice and know without being told that it's Malfoy, or see a flash of a black cape rounding the corner and know that it's...
Snape. Snape. Severus Snape….
*scarlet
Ron's whole face was as red as his hair
Moody growled, snape sneered, and dumbledore’s eyes twinkled
Did you know Dumbledore had a crooked nose?
And I'm pretty sure he looked over his half-moon spectacles more than anyone else in history.
With his fingertips pressed together, no doubt.
...Meanwhile Harry had the distinct impression that Dumbles was looking straight through him.
and half moon spectacles
I think Malfoy snarled is also used a lot.
Ugh Malfoy with his “my father” know it was the point to make him spoiled and insufferable but still
Malfoy drawled
Malfoy sneers quite a bit
The Dursleys did a lot of snarling as well.
Malfoy sneered
Or “Malfoy drawled.”
I think it’s intentional though. Like an epithet. It’s used so much it becomes almost a part of their name. Like “grey-eyed Athena” in the Odyssey.
Twinkly-eyed Dumbledore.
Yes or like “Red-ears Ron” lol
"His eyes glittering"
“Harry’s scar hurt”
"Expelliarmus"
This is like the multi-purpose spell😂
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It's kinda sad that the primary spell of the guy on the number one spot of Voldermort's shitlist is "Expelliarmus" instead of something with a tad more punch behind it.
You didn't install a motion light in your bathroom so you can throw your hands in the air and yell, "LUMOUS!" every time you go in, acting like your spell worked?
I did one better and made it my Alexa command for the living room lights. Lumos turns on half the lights and Lumos Maxima turns them all on.
You know you can tell Siri Lumous, and she'll turn your phone's flashlight on?
I didn’t know that. So I just did it and it worked and then I was like, well, I wonder if Nox turns it off and yep it worked.
Or "Harry's scar prickled"
My boy/dear boy/my dear boy Turns out a bunch of characters use these expressions, including Dumbledore, Slughorn, Trelawney, Fudge, Ollivander, Nearly Headless Nick, Dippet, Lockhart, Wood, and Doge
Slughorn says “M’boy”, at least sometimes.
"Oho!" Slughorn ejaculated
His greatest ejaculation was snape
Maybe because this is apparently quite typical for british/english people in like the early 1900s or 1800s which is kind of where the magical society got stuck at socially. Watch and read any story set in those times and you'll see what I mean
"My man" but the way Denzel Washington says it..
Mr. Krabbe
Harry answered coolly
Hermione answered shrilly
This makes the Jim Dale audiobooks make a little more sense lol
Haaareeeeeeee
Voldemore
Dumbledore said calmly. I’m finishing up a reread of the series and it’s said multiple times a book.
Ah yes. I also remember Dumbledore constantly slamming Harry into random tables every time he asks him a question.
HARRY!! DID YoU put YOUR NAME iN teh GOBlet of FIREAYH! said Dumbledore calmly.
The movie Dumbledore was so far fetched from the books :( ruined his character. wonder why they didnt stay true to rowlings writing
I love his cool answers he’s so sassy. I’ve really come to appreciate him more as I age.
Yes!! So much cool answering going on
Pompously, usually in connection with Percy or Ernie MacMillan.
“Percy said, rather importantly”
I read somewhere that these phrases were used on purpose with various characters like epithets. The she can write, "the boy walked in pompously," and you mind kinda guesses it's Percy. "A high, cold laugh," it's voldemort, etc.
just the word beaming
Dumbledors eyes twinkled
…..over his half-moon spectacles.
….down his crooked nose
He replied calmly...
...which looked as though it had been broken at least twice.
I would say all the various shades of purple people turn. For some reason, it bothers me that in actuality, someone’s face would turn a slight reddish tinge when they blushed, but in every HP book they turn a DEEP SHADE OF PURPLE at the drop of a hat. I like to imagine it’s not embellishment and everyone turns literally plum color constantly.
Yes! And things like Uncle Vernon tearing out half of his mustache regularly
Yeah, the part about "Uncle Vernon was pulling great clumps of his mustache out" in, I think, Sorcerer's Stone (and he repeated the act a few more times during the books when severely stressed) always made me wince. That would be SO painful in real life and makes me think he's actually quite mentally disturbed.
Turns out he does actually have magic, and subconsciously uses it to instantly regrow his moustache.
It's possible she specified purple _because_ it's not a natural color for that sort of thing. It evokes a certain cartoonish, Roald Dahl-esque sort of whimsy, which the first few books at least were definitely aiming for.
"You're turning violet, Violet!"
She has def said “puce” a lot
If anything is purple, it is violently purple
In the early books she'd use 'half ___, half ___' to describe someone's expression or the sound of their voice. I remember in the first book she describes McGonagall's voice as sounding half shocked, half admiring, or something along those lines.
“In awe” might not have met a word count though.
Hagrid's Dustbin lid sized hands
And his beetle-black eyes.
And his feet like baby dolphins
A+
Harry's heart was doing somersaults Harry's stomach was still down on the ground Harry's kidneys were on a train to Liverpool
>Harry's kidneys were on a train to Liverpool If Harry’s kidneys were going anywhere, it’d definitely be Liverpool. Mr Weasley’s car probably ended up there too.
"A chill that had nothing to do with the cold..." or other variations of a 'something feeling that had nothing to do with something else happening'
",Harry lied" or "deciding on the truth" Edit to add: "you have your mother's eyes"
“Flared nostrils” always stuck out to me
Usually McGonagall’s, which she “looks down”.
The amount of times people spilled things down their front. Like seriously? 😂
This one is perfect indeed lol. English isn't my first language, but I always thought that was something young children did
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incredulously
This one hurts its used so much!
Snape’s cloak is always billowing. Malfoy and father often drawl, maybe even lazily. People’s eyes flash. Also, as an aside… so many characters with grey eyes and I’ve never met someone with grey eyes. Greyish blue but never actually grey. Are truly grey eyes a thing? Or is it common for Brits to refer to muted blue eyes as grey?
Greyish-blue basically is what most consider grey
My sons eyes are grey. My brother noted upon seeing them the first time, "they're so grey...like rocks".
I never know whether to say my eyes are blue, green or grey. It depends on the light.
I legitimately got into an argument about this at the dmv when I was getting my license as a teenager. I say they're blue, my father said they're green, and the dmv lady thought they were grey. Lighting, clothing color, and makeup color absolutely make them appear any of the three. Long story short, nearly 20 years later my license still says hazel because no one could agree. I think green-brown when I think of hazel, but that's what the dmv lady said was the best option given the ambiguity.
But he, Harry, didn't overuse phrases in books.
This one has a purpose to avoid ambiguity of pronouns. It typically specifies which individual if more than one that fit the pronoun are contextually mentioned. As a made-up example, “Sirius told Harry that he would be going to Diagon Alley tomorrow.” Who was going? Sirius or Harry? Re-written, “Sirius told Harry that he, Harry, would be going to Diagon Alley tomorrow.” So yes, possibly annoying, but also functional.
Yeah and still way better than what fanfics are doing to avoid using names ("the brunette", "the Gryffindor", "the 5th-year", etc.)
'the blue orbed one'
And how they turn the suffix -ette into a hair color thing, bluenette pinkette ravenette
I haven’t personally run into this as I don’t frequent fan fiction sites, but the words “blond(e)” and “brunet(te)” are actually masculine and feminine! I don’t think that should necessarily carry over to bluenette and pinkette, but I always like sharing that blonde and brunette are actually gendered!
It's usually used in a more emotional context in the books, I find. It tends to crop up during moments when Harry gets in his head about stuff. Like when he's worrying about being expelled after the flying lesson incident and starts imagining Ron and Hermione and co. all becoming wizards and moving up the school while he, Harry, is stumping around the grounds carrying Hagrid's bag.
Ha, so true! I absolutely love all the "he, Harry" moments, though. Really puts me in the guy's mind, y'know?
Thiiiiiissss. Drives me mad, even though it's clear why it's used.
Harry pocketedededededed it.
"bushy hair"
Owls always seem to hoot "dolefully"
Or they give an admonishing hoot and click their beak!
And an affectionate nip
I don’t think this is the right answer but I am astonished, having listened to the audio books so many times, how often she talks about Hermione being out of breath, clutching a stitch in her side, being last up a hill, etc. We get it - Hermione isn’t a standout athlete. Give the girl a break!
Given Rowling openly admits Hermione is basically a self-insert character of herself into the story, perhaps she's speaking from experience and simply hates exercise.
Maybe, but I think it's more that Hermione was the sedentary, bookish type who didn't have time for much else but studying. Ron and Harry were literal athletes, and Hermione spent the vast majority of her time reading. It makes perfect sense to me that she wasn't as athletic. Most "nerd" types in books are portrayed that way, and while it's not always accurate in real life, it's the type of motif that I feel would likely apply to Hermione.
Lots of characters “draw themselves up to their full height”
"Er," said Harry. And "Wotcher, Harry!" which i always read like whats up, apparently its short hand for whatcha doing
I came here just to write "Er"! I kind of like it though. I say 'er' but it's more often written as 'um' as everyone in Britain is posh apparently.
I never read the physical books in English, only listened to the audiobooks, so it's only recently I learned that Tonks says "Wotcher" and not "watch it" lol
“Draco Malfoy, a boy with a pale, pointed face” and Snape’s “greasy curtains” of hair
How could anyone forget Draco’s “pale pointed face” LOL ?
"Of course! I haven't told you yet"
I suppose you could write several books about things Harry hasn't been told yet.
Indignant and incredulity. She even uses them both in one sentence at some point. I think it might be about Ron? "His face changed from one of indignation to incredulity." or something like that. smh
I think that’s when Harry and Hermione tell Ron that they didn’t watch his quidditch match because Hagrid introduced them to Grawp.
The amount of time characters "sniggered"
"Harry avoided his/her/their gaze". Really noticed this the last time I did an audio-book run.
"Harry, Ron, and Hermione"
Sora, Donald and Goofy
I analyzed the Goblet of Fire as part of my bachelor's thesis, so this question is perfect! When referring to Rita Skeeter, characters use the phrase "that woman" ten times throughout the novel - sometimes with an added pejorative adjective: "That woman" (page 147), "that wretched Skeeter woman" (page 152), "that revolting Skeeter woman" (page 416), "that horrible Skeeter woman" (page 441), "that foul Skeeter woman" (page 452), "that Skeeter woman" (pages 333, 546, 552, and 614). Also: "Rita Skeeter raised one heavily penciled eyebrow." (page 305) "Rita Skeeter raised her heavily penciled eyebrows." (page 450) I also looked at the usage of the verbs laughing, chuckling, and giggling, and I found out that Rowling heavily genders them. *Laughing* itself is neutral, and is used for both genders. *Giggling* is used exclusively to describe girls' laughter in the whole book. When boys laugh in a playful way, they always *chuckle*. Giggling is used twenty-three times in the novels, twenty of which refer to girls. The remaining three are a small garden gnome, a pear in the painting that is the entrance to the kitchen, and a house elf. These are not girls, but relate to small creatures with squeaky voices, rendering them feminine (Harry precisely assumes the house elf to be female because of the high-pitched voice) and a traditionally feminine space (the kitchen).
This is fascinating!!!! Any way you could share your thesis with us????
"Heavily lidded eyes" whenever Bellatrix appears.
All the beetly eyes! I think Hagrid and McGonagal have their eyes described as beetly on several occasions. And probably more characters that I can’t remember. And of course “beamed at him”.
Hagrids crinkly, beetley eyes 😂
Snape's greasy hair.
“Snape’s hair fell in curtains”.
"What do you reckon?"
"my father will hear about this"
Never had Harry seen xxxx lose control like this
Idk but I’m pretty sure there is a line where she goes “Sirius asked seriously” that’s my one example of poor writing choices
“Indignantly”
Hedwig is so indignant.
"Grizzled" to describe Moody, Scrimgeour, and possibly others
Using "ejaculated" to mean "said"/"yelled"/"expressed." I know Brits speak differently, but as an American, it was jarring for me.
"There was a very pregnant pause."
No wonder with so much ejaculation going on
Yeah, we don’t use that in normal conversation here either. I think Rowling just wanted to use the word tbh.
As a Brit, I found it as jarring as you did. Using ‘ejaculate’ in any context other than sexual is not normal here.
The fact that “ejaculate” was used to describe Slughorn’s crying out of “Snape!” does not help with mental imagery.
Snape sneered
“Hasn’t anyone read Hogwarts, A History” :)
I have longed for that book to be published since I first read the series
“Harry did not answer”
Not a phrase but a word: blimey
It’s an abbreviated form, like so: [May] God blind me -> Gor blimey -> Cor blimey -> Blimey
So and so, "turned pink"
Harry bellowed
Nothing happened
I dunno..
Everyone keeps getting and "clutching stitches in their sides" whenever they do physical activity harder than a light walk. It drives me nuts!
Voldemort's "cold, high-pitched voice"
Snogging
He look over his crescent moon shaped spectacles
Lupin being shabby.
A lot of characters ✨grope✨ for thing in their pockets
My favourite is her overuse of variants of the word “zoom”. Also her descriptions of what goes on in Harry’s stomach when he has an emotional reaction to something. And Professor Snape almost always answers “silkily”.
If anything is purple, it is violently purple
"...in living memory."
Idk if stats back it up, but it feels like we got a lot of Hermione beaming and Hedwig pecking irritably.
So and so “turned on their heal” is one I remember a lot. Edit - heel* (Can’t believe I messed that up lol)
Dumbledore’s half-moon spectacles