Female dogs in PoA and other innocent words WAS Re: Spoilers - my POA review

[saintbacchus]

Hagridd writes:

<<
Sophia, you are entirely correct that Aunt Marge is being very  
insulting and is implying poor breeding to Lily and Harry.  My point 
is that the word "bitch" is not used as a curseword, but only to the 
extent that it means to cheapen the Potter-Evans bloodline.  She  
might just as easily said "dam" and "colt", but Aunt Marge is a dog  
breeder, not a horse breeder.
>>

Now see, I thought Aunt Marge intended the double entendre. She's a 
respectable, pillar-of-the-community type, and has to adhere to some 
degree of genteel behavior (like how Vernon always says "ruddy" 
instead of "bloody") to keep that reputation. Since she is a dog 
breeder, though, she can use the lingo as a cover for what she 
really means - an insult too crude for a suburbanite to utter.

--Anna