Ripper's tail and paw :-)

[Carol]

Geoff:
> I have a Bloomsbury edition of POA I bought in October 2003 but is dated as the 1999 edition. It has "paw".
> 
> I agree, it is physically impossible to tread on a bulldog's tail. The only way you'd get there would be by kicking the poor beast up the backside. :-))

Carol responds:
Maybe it depends on the breed of bulldog, but I think it would be possible to step on even a two-inch stub of a tail if the animal is lying down or sitting (and you're not used to having animals underfoot and therefore not watching where you're going).

If, as I gather from your post, English bulldogs are particularly known for their short tails (either natural or bobbed), the Bloomsbury copyeditor would be more likely to know that and suggest revising "tail" to "paw" than an American copyeditor. (I doubt that the American editor would have suggested changing "paw" to "tail"--the change wouldn't be justified.)

Just my thoughts on a point that can't be proven either way.

Carol, who doubts that Harry of Ripper as a "poor beast" and suspects that he wouldn't have minded "kicking him up the backside" if he could have done so with impunity (Please don't view this comment as advocating cruelty to animals!)