5 Most Overused Phrases That Are Ruining Harry Potter Books Charm
J.K. Rowling is known to have a very specific writing style, which has undoubtedly contributed greatly to the success of the Harry Potter series.
However, she is also known for overusing certain words and phrases, which can sometimes take away from the charm of the scenes.
Here are just a few examples of such phrases.
- Indignantly
'"You know, house-elves get a very raw deal!" said Hermione indignantly.'
One of the most overused words in the Harry Potter series is 'indignantly'. J.K. Rowling uses it when she wants to show that a character is angry because something is wrong or unfair.
This is obviously correct, but the word is literally everywhere in the series. It is used so often that a reader could make a drinking game out of it. And they wouldn't get away sober!
- Spread-Eagled
'Cedric was lying spread-eagled on the ground beside him.'
In the Potterverse, many people lie spread-eagled on the ground or other surfaces. This is definitely J.K. Rowling's favorite way to describe the shape of a person who has fallen. But to a casual reader, this phrase might sound like a weird epithet, or worse, a euphemism for something related to sex.
The fact that Rowling uses this phrase to describe the deaths of some major characters, such as Cedric Diggory and Dumbledore, makes it even more disturbing. Also, there is a scene where Harry wakes up spread-eagled on the bathroom floor after a vision. How big are these bathrooms?
- Lip Curled
'Snape's lips curled into a sneer.'
This phrase is mostly used by the author in reference to Professor Snape and a few times to Draco Malfoy, both of whom serve as negative characters in the early books. But what does it even mean? Perhaps J.K. Rowling wanted to portray Snape as a joyless baddie who never cracks a smile, but it is hard to imagine a face with a lip that is curled up in annoyance or other emotion.
- Beamed
'Harry and Ron beamed at Hermione.'
In the Harry Potter series, everyone seems to be beaming at each other all the time, like some kind of lunatics. This word is used even more often than 'indignantly'. It almost seems as if the characters in the Potterverse are cars, rather than wizards and witches. If they're all beaming at each other, doesn't that mean they've grown headlights or something?
- Pocketed It
'Mr. Diggory handed Harry his wand and Harry pocketed it.'
Although this line is hard to read aloud, it doesn't take away from the charm of the book, but rather adds to it. There's a hilarious story behind the phrase, so we couldn't leave it off the list.
Stephen Fry found it difficult to say 'Harry pocketed it' when recording the audiobooks. So he asked J.K. Rowling if he could change that one sentence. But the author remembered that Fry had once made a rather condescending remark about her work, and decided to take a little revenge. Instead of changing the phrase in The Philosopher's Stone, she included it in every future book, which Fry had to record, of course.