Appendix A
Glossary of British Terms
Great Britain and the United States are as much alike as two countries on different continents could be. But in spite of the similarities, some British terminology may have you scratching your head. This appendix helps you understand British terms that appear in the Harry Potter novels.
balaclava Ski mask.
ball A dance similar to an American prom.
bang on course On target.
bang out of order Out of line.
bangers Large sausages served as part of an afternoon or evening meal, usually with mashed potatoes.
bangers and mash Sausages and mashed potatoes.
bin Trash can.
biscuit A cookie, usually bought and served in a tin (a round metal box with a lid); also a cracker that’s something like an American saltine, but more dense and often served with cheese.
blancmange A type of pudding.
blimey Golly; geez.
bloke Fellow; guy.
boater Flat straw hat.
bogey Booger; snot.
bonbons Round treats that usually have a slightly crusty outside and a
chewy center, coated in powdered sugar.
bowler hat A formal black hat with a narrow brim.
brewpub A pub in which beer is brewed onsite.
brilliant Excellent; incredible.
budgerigar A type of parakeet.
camp bed Fold-up cot.
carriage Train car.
cheek, giving Being a smart-mouth.
chipolatas Small pork sausages usually served at breakfast; what Americans might call “breakfast sausage” or even “cocktail sausage.”
chocolate gateau A rich chocolate cake, served in slices with fresh cream.
Christmas cake Soft cake with icing; tucked between the icing and cake is marzipan.
Christmas pudding A plum cake or plum pudding served with a rich sauce. Often, there’s a coin baked in it for luck.
cloak A long coat that wraps around the body and fastens near the neck but may not have actual sleeves; like a thick poncho.
clotted cream Thick cream made from scalded milk.
codswollop Hogwash; baloney. See also tripe.
collywobbles The willies.
copper Police officer.
cracker A British holiday traditional favor that’s roughly the size of a paper towel tube, or smaller. When you pull the cracker apart, it makes a loud “bang!” and out come small treats or even small, inexpensive gifts.
crikey Golly.
crumpet Unsweetened cake that’s cooked like a pancake, but is taller and not as large in diameter as pancakes are.
cupboard Closet.
cuppa Cup of tea.
custard Sweet mix of milk and eggs that’s usually baked but may also be boiled.
dab hand Good at; excellent.
derby See bowler hat.
dodgy Scary; risky; rundown; unreliable; dirty.
done a runner Run away; escaped.
dozy Stupid.
draught British spelling of “draft.”
dustbin Trash can.
football British term for soccer.
fortnight Two weeks.
four-poster Bed.
fussed Bothered.
garden Backyard.
git Jerk.
gob Spit.
gobstruck Astonished.
going spare Going crazy.
gone round the twist Gone crazy. have a go at Make fun of or lay into. haversack A small backpack or any sort of bag carried on one’s back or shoulder by a strap. head See headmaster; headmistress.
Head Boy See prefect.
Head Girl See prefect. headmaster The man in charge of a boarding school. headmistress The woman in charge of a boarding school. hotel Place to stay the night that generally will not have a bar on the premises, although it will usually serve breakfast. Also called a private hotel. house A grouping of boarding-school students; students live together and compete for best house in intra-school competitions. inn Place to stay the night that may or may not have a bar that serves alcoholic beverages, but it always offers meals. jot Bit; iota. keen Eager.
King’s Cross Train station in London. kip A nap. kippers Salt-cured (often smoked) dried fish; usually made from herring. knickerbocker glory Ice cream dessert. knickerbockers Dressy short pants like those golfers used to wear. lift Elevator. lintel The upper portion of a doorway frame or window frame. looking daggers Giving evil looks.
marmalade See toast and marmalade.
mate Pal; buddy; dude.
mead A sweet wine made from honey and sometimes aged in oak barrels.
mental Crazy.
meringue A dessert with a meringue crust (like a pie crust but made of meringue) topped with fruit or other sweet fillings.
mince Another word for ground beef or other meat chopped up into tiny bits.
mince pie Sweet pie made of mincemeat that’s either served cold with custard or clotted cream or heated with brandy butter.
mincemeat Sweet pie filling, usually consisting of apples, raisins, beef fat, and (sometimes) mince.
mind the gap Watch your step as you cross from the edge of a carriage (train car) and the platform.
moleskin Originally, the fur of a mole, used for outerwear. Now also used to denote a heavy cotton fabric.
mollycoddling Treating like a child.
mouth organ Harmonica.
nick Steal.
nip Going somewhere quickly and/or briefly.
nutter Crazy person.
Paddington Station Train station in London.
pastilles Fruit candies coated in sugar that come twelve to a pack.
pasty A flaky crust that fully surrounds a rather dry filling of beef or chicken, potatoes, onions, and other ingredients. Also called a Cornish pasty.
pence Plural of penny, which is one one-hundredth of a British pound.
peppermint humbugs Hard candy flavored with peppermint oil.
pitch An area of land used as a grassy playing field.
plait Pleat (such as the pleat of a skirt).
platform The area at which passengers board a train.
porkpie Small pastry with a SPAM-like pork product in the middle; often served with gravy.
porridge Crushed oats or oatmeal (and, occasionally, other grains) boiled in water and/or milk and usually served with sugar and cream.
prat An uptight, goody-two-shoes airbrain.
prefect The top boy or girl at a school. Also called Head Boy or Head Girl.
pub A bar or bar/inn combination.
public school British boarding school.
pudding Another word for dessert.
queue A line of people, such as one at a bus stop, stadium entrance, or lunch line.
ruddy Darned.
sacked Fired.
scrum Rugby term that in non-Rugby settings usually means skirmish.
Sellotape A brand of tape (like the American Scotch tape).
shut your gob Shut up.
skive Skip school.
Snap Children’s card game, played with two or more players.
spiffing To make wonderful, great.
spotted dick A confection made with suet (beef fat), rubbed into flour and made into a pudding, and then given some dried fruit; served with custard.
taking the mickey To tease or ridicule.
tart An individual pie; a crust is topped with fresh fruit, jam, cream, and/or custard.
television aerial TV antennae.
toast and marmalade Toast and jam; the marmalade is usually made with oranges.
treacle fudge Fudge made with treacle.
treacle pudding A steamed pudding made with treacle.
treacle tart A tart topped with treacle.
treacle A syrupy topping, with a consistency something like corn syrup but usually made with molasses.
trifle A many-layered confection that begins with sponge cake (sometimes soaked in rum or other lique
ur), then fruit, then cream, and so on.
tripe Stomach of a cow or ox; eaten as a delicacy. Also called codswollop.
trolley Food cart that travels down the aisles of a train car.
Turkish Delight A candy that’s a denser, chewier version of marshmallow, coated in sugar, with either chocolate or sprinkles on top.
wardrobe A large cabinet that acts as a closet.
wastrel A lazy person.
West Ham United Football Club Soccer club located in east London.
wotcher Hello!; what’s up?
wrench A difficult decision.
Yorkshire pudding A hearty side dish similar to an American pop-over. May be served with horseradish sauce and/or gravy.
Appendix B
Cool Wizarding Websites
With hundreds (and even thousands) of new Harry Potter Internet sites appearing each month, you may want to know where to turn first. Here are my picks for the most interesting, up-to-date, and easy-to-navigate sites.
The Top Sites
We start with the best of the best.
J.K. Rowling’s Site ()
If you’re going to get information, go straight to the source. Launched in 2004, this site is full of fun details about Rowling’s life, work, writing process, and news. There’s a cool list of links, too. While books were in process, the site was updated regularly; whether that will continue after the release of the final novel in the series remains to be seen.
Harry Potter Lexicon ()
The Harry Potter Lexicon is an encyclopedia of Harry Potter facts. Information is arranged logically and is easily searchable. So when you’re arguing with your friends about whether Hermione’s middle name is Anastasia or Jane, check it out here. (It’s Jane.)
Fan Sites
There are thousands of Harry Potter fan sites, and each offers something slightly different. If the ones listed here don’t work for you, search around, find one you like, bookmark it, and check it every week! In addition to the sites discussed in the following sections, a few others you may want to check out are (for good, quick updates), www. , and .
The Leaky Cauldron ()
Run by fans, The Leaky Cauldron is news-central for anything and everything related to Harry Potter. Movie trailers are posted almost the moment they come out, as are any interviews with J.K. Rowling and actors from the movies.
PotterCast ()
Officially part of The Leaky Cauldron site, Pottercast is a weekly hour-long podcast of interesting and unique news, interviews, and fan commentary you won’t hear in the mainstream media.
Harry Potter Fan Zone ()
The Harry Potter Fan Zone (HPFZ) was started by an Australian teenager and has grown to require the efforts of almost two dozen people. As Harry Potter news happens, this site reports it.
Muggle Net ()
News, fan commentary, competitions, and discounted shopping make this fan site unique. Check out the always-interesting Wall of Shame, which is a posting of some disturbing correspondence the webmaster has received. Also check out MuggleCast (), which features weekly podcasts in which theories and rumors are discussed and debated.
Movie and Actor Sites
The movies based on Rowling’s novels are nearly as big of a phenomenon as the novels themselves. Here are sites that are devoted to the Harry Potter movies or to the actors who play significant roles.
Warner Brothers ()
This is the official Warner Brothers site, so it offers brilliantly vivid movie clips and trailers. It is not updated regularly, however. You can also visit for the British viewpoint, although the sites are roughly the same.
Daniel Radcliffe ()
Devoted to the actor who plays Harry Potter in the movies, this site is part movie promotion, part public relations, and part charity fundraising. But it all comes together in a nice package, including interviews, articles, and a calendar of appearances.
Travel-Related Sites
If you’re planning to travel and want to visit Harry Potter-related sites, check out the Tourist Tip sidebars throughout this book. And also check out HP Fan Trips (), which arranges trips based on the novels and movies. If you have the time and cash, you definitely want to take the Hogwarts Express train ride! You can also search for other Harry Potter travel sites by using an Internet search engine.
Merchandise Sites
Want your own holly wand with a unicorn’s tail as the core? Need a great wizarding hat for your next party? Want to get your hands on Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavor Beans? These sites help you spend your hard-earned cash on wizard products of all types.
Alivans ()
Modeled to look and feel like Ollivanders (see Chapter 7), this site is among the best Harry Potter merchandise sites on the web. The website is set up like the interactive DVD tours that come with the first two Harry Potter movies. The illusion is so complete that you actually feel like a wizard ordering a wand, broom, clothing, etc. (Of course, there’s no Internet in the wizarding world, but that’s a small point.) If you’re considering a wand for yourself or to give as a gift, this is where to buy it. You’ll pay more than at other sites, but your wand will be made of the finest wood with excellent craftsmanship. The brooms, too, are incredibly authentic.
The Official Warner Brothers Shop (http://harrypotter. )
From T-shirts and hats to action figures and a collectible Time Turner, this slick site is the official site of movie-related Harry Potter products. Be sure to order your Harry Potter tree ornaments well in advance of the holidays!
Harry Gear ()
Billed as carrying “official” Harry Potter products, Harry Gear offers high quality hats, scarves—even glasses and Quidditch goggles! The online store doesn’t carry many products, but the ones it carries look and feel authentic. Shipping is a flat $5.95 fee per order.
The Order of Merlin ()
This rather kitschy online store is devoted to all things Harry Potter. Even if items are relatively useless (as is likely the case with a cast-iron cauldron, the laminated Apparator’s License, and the ten-pack of parchment paper), The Order of Merlin offers gobs of Harry Potter gifts at reasonable prices.
Whimsicalley ()
Set up like a mall of authentic wizard stores you can link to, at Whimsicalley, you can stock up on Harry Potter products to your heart’s content, from wands to robes to books. You can even purchase a bottle of Felix Felicis. Prices are usually quite reasonable.
The Feelings Company ()
This store specializes in hats, not Harry Potter memorabilia, but its wizard hats are so authentic-looking and reasonably priced that this site is worth a mention. Click on Fantasy Hats and Helmets when you get to the home page.
LEGO ()
Oh my gosh! If you like LEGO toys, there just isn’t anything cuter than the Harry Potter-themed LEGO sets. Products range from Harry Potter keychains to the Hogwarts Express train set to entire kits and games that reenact scenes from the novels. Like all LEGO products, prices tend to be on the steep side, but they also last a lifetime. Another downside is that products appear to be limited edition, so some sell out and are no longer available—at least not in the United States.
eBay ()
Before you spend full price on anything, first check out eBay and view current auctions for everything related to Harry Potter. But caveat emptor: if a seller claims to have an item “autographed by J.K. Rowling,” assume it’s a fake.
Sylvan Lane Shoppe ( )
Much of what’s available at Honeydukes (see Chapter 8) is available at Sylvan Lane Shoppe—Fizzing Whizbees, Cockroach Clusters, Acid Pops, Jelly Slugs, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, and more! Although the company experiences distribution problems from time to time, when they get stock in, it’s the real deal. You can buy small quantities, too, because not everyone needs a dozen packs of Ice Mice.
Candy Warehouse (. html)
Candy Warehouse offers a similar selection to that of Sylvan Lane, but candies are rarely out of stock. Plus, w
hile you’re there, you can also get Willy Wonka candy, Star Wars candy, and Disney candy. The downside is that nearly all candy needs to be ordered in bulk.
British Delights ()
An online opportunity to purchase much of the British food discussed in Chapter 4, British Delights (operated out of Westford, Massachusetts) offers everything from bangers to mince pie to Yorkshire pudding, all with reasonable shipping times and fees.
Fan Fiction Sites
Fan fiction refers to a site full of stories written by fans (not by Rowling) that use the Harry Potter characters and settings in fresh ways. Fan fiction is written by children and adults alike, and some of it is sugar-sweet, some borders on erotic, and most of it lies somewhere in between. The biggest is Fiction Alley (). Harry Potter Fan Fiction () is another of the most prolific of the fan fiction sites; if you don’t like what you find at either of those, search on “Harry Potter fan fiction” for an overload of similar sites. Parents should keep in mind that some fan fiction is not suitable for children. Fan fiction is usually rated by the authors using a system similar to movie ratings (G to NC-17).
The Complete Idiot's Guide to the World of Harry Potter Page 23