the term "wench" was Re: HP and rules

[blpurdom]

No: HPFGUIDX 37484

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "ritadear2" <ritadarling at i...> wrote:
> I think I recall quickly switching "wench" to "witch" when I read 
> that particular phrase in GoF aloud 

Um, not to burst anyone's bubble, but the word in the US edition 
is "cow" as well, so I'm afraid it was impossible that you 
read "witch" for "wench" when no "wench" is in this scene.  

The US version of GoF, page 453:

-----------------------------------------------------------------

"Of course we still want to know you!" Harry said, staring at 
Hagrid.  "You don't think anything that Skeeter cow--sorry 
Professor," he added quickly, looking at Dumbledore.

"I have gone temporarily deaf and haven't any idea what you said, 
Harry," said Dumbledore, twiddling his thumbs and staring at the 
ceiling.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The passage is identical in my son's copy (with the wand-order 
mistake) and in my daughter's (corrected wand-order).  The same 
passage also appears, word-for-word, on pages 393-394 of the UK 
version.  This whole thing is a tempest in a teacup inasmuch as the 
word "wench" quite simply doesn't appear in either English-language 
version of the book.  (I am to understand that the Canadian, 
Australian and New Zealand versions are the same as the UK version.)
If one goes to this page of the Harry Potter Lexicon, you will see 
that it also isn't listed as one of the differences between the US 
and UK versions: 

http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon/differences-gf.html

Since Finwitch started all this, perhaps it's possible that she read 
an edition of the book in Finnish and went to an English/Finnish 
dictionary which translated whichever Finnish word was used 
for "cow" as "wench."  (Since it was meant to be an insult specific 
to women.)  This is the most likely explanation, I think.  

Fear not; Harry hasn't yet taken to speaking like a pirate (shipping 
jokes aside...<g>).

--Barb
(Ahoy there!)