Some MUGGLE etymology

[heiditandy]

Original Yahoo! HPFG Header:
No: HPFGUIDX C4237
From: heiditandy
Subject: Some MUGGLE etymology
Date: 7/14/00 10:23 am  (ET)

http://slate.msn.com/Omnivore/00-07-10/Omnivore.asp

Summary of the article: last week, on CNN's burden of proof, they
did a ridiculous segment about the woman who claims that she has a
copyright/trademark in the term MUGGLES and in her characters Lily
and Larry Poter, from a book she wrote back in 1987 (side note -
I am a copyright & trademark attorney, and I would give her case
wide bearth even if I wasn't a Potter/Rowling Fan) (the transcript
is at http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0007/05/bp.00.html). SLATE
magazine today notes that she's, well, let's put it this way,
a Sneakerscope would whirl around her. Lewis Carroll, they write,
used the word over a hundred years ago, in a three-chapter story
called "Wilhelm von Schmitz." You can read the Carroll story here:
http://www.bibliomania.com/Fiction/Caroll/CompleteWorks/p4-wvs.html
. The relevant passage goes like this: " 'He's confessed to it,
constable? you heard him?' said the first speaker (who rejoiced in the
euphonious title of Muggle ...) 'it's as much as his life is worth.'
'I say, stow that--' warmly responded the other; 'seems to me the
gen'leman was a spouting potry.'
'What--what's the matter?' here gasped our unfortunate hero, who had
recovered his breath; 'you--Muggle--what do you mean by it?' "