Another question.

[zanooda2]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Carol" <justcarol67 at ...> wrote:


> "That seemed the sort of thing" is an elliptical expression, 
> meaning that part of the sentence is omitted (but implied).


zanooda:

Thank you very much to everyone who replied, I really appreciate it :-). Somehow it never crossed my mind that part of this sentence may be omitted. This is probably the reason I couldn't understand it :-).

I was also wondering about the word "catcalling", how it is used in the same chapter 7. The book says that when Lavender Brown was sorted into Gryffindor, Fred and George reacted by "catcalling". 

Now, all dictionaries (I mean *all* I have at home and all I could find online :-)) dictionaries say that catcalling is a sign of disapproval. It can't be true in this case, right? Why would the Twins disapprove of someone being sorted in their own House? They are obviously cheering :-).

I met the word "catcalling" before, without looking it up in dictionaries, and from the context I assumed that it meant men whistling to a woman or yelling to her compliments (or rather, something *they* consider compliments :-)), but this meaning is not mentioned in the dictionaries.

So what is catcalling, approval or disapproval :-)? How would you guys use this word?