Crookshanks reprised: Observations and Etymology

[clairey at airy-fairy.co.uk]

No: HPFGUIDX 16646

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Haggridd" <jkusalavagemd at y...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Indigo" <indigo at i...> wrote:
> > You can tell I just spent an hour reading the penultimate few 
> chapters 
> > of PoA.  *chuckle*
> > 
> > I've got more thoughts about Crookshanks.
> > 
> > I'm not sure if Ron's phobia of Spiders came up in PoA. I can't 
> > remember. I do, however, know that Crookshanks leapt into 
Hermione's 
> > lap with a large spider in his mouth and watched Ron the whole 
time 
> he 
> > ate it, even after Ron made it clear he was disturbed: "Does he 
have 
> > to eat that here?"  
> > 
> > To me, anyway, that implies it did come up at some point, and 
> > Crookshanks knew enough to use it against Ron.
> > 
> > Also, Sirius says that Crookshanks stole Neville's list from 
> Neville's 
> > bedside table at his behest.  This tells me that Crookshanks is 
very 
> > much unlike a normal cat.  Normal cats don't follow orders, 
although 
> > they can be trained. I sincerely doubt that Sirius could train a 
cat 
> > to get into a place he himself couldn't get into and steal 
something 
> > for him to facilitate his *getting* in.
> > 
> > Sirius also says he is able to communicate with Crookshanks, and 
> earn 
> > his trust.  Also not something doable with a normal cat.  You can 
> earn 
> > a normal cat's trust, but the communication is more questionable. 
> > Again, you can train a cat, but I again doubt Sirius had the 
means 
> to 
> > feed Crookshanks tasty tidbits as a reward.  Sirius himself 
looked 
> all 
> > wan and starved.
> > 
> > Crookshanks also is capable of retaining information for a good 
> while 
> > since he can remember how to turn off the Whomping Willow (which 
> > apparently resets itself after a period of time). He turned it 
off 
> so 
> > Harry and Hermione could follow after Ron, and he turned it off 
> again 
> > so they could emerge from the passage with the chained Pettigrew.
> > 
> > One more observation that puts me firmly in the Crookshanks is at 
> > least part Kneazle (or, I'm beginning to think more likely a 
Kneazle 
> > who is part normal cat):  his name.
> > 
> > A shank is a straight and narrow nail. [Merriam-Webster]
> > 
> > Crook - Shanks = Nail the crooks!
> > 
> > Indigo
> > [a good hot bath and a good book do wonders for the mind!]
> 
> Wonderful textual investigation, thank you!  Wouldn't your 
citations 
> equally support the possibility that Crookshanks is an unregisterd 
> Animagus, though?
> 
> Haggridd



I had always thought that Crookshanks was his name because he 
had "bandy legs"

crook=crooked
shanks=legsn (shank bone)


I looked into this and yes ,its an old Engish term for crooked legs

claire :)