meaning of "of age"

[Andrea]

No: HPFGUIDX 43267

--- Sirius Kase <siriuskase at earthlink.net> wrote:
> In the US "of age" similarly means that a person isn't legally old
> enough.
> It normally isn't used outside of a legal context. 

Actually, it means that a person IS legally old enough. ;)  

> When I read that part of GoF, my first impression was that the age limit
> of 17 referred specifically to the Triwizard and that the age line
matched
> for that reason and not a generic age of adulthood.  

My thought was that it was a general statement regarding age limits for
things that he was specifically applying to the situation.  ("Of age" in
the US is 18 for just about everything but driving and drinking. 
Therefore, the 18 year old limit is often extended to non-legally binding
situations where they simply want to say "adult".)  My reasoning was
essentially that unless 17 was a general wizarding age of consent, it
seems an odd one for Dumbledore to make.  Why not just say "6th and 7th
years"?  Why allow some 6th years to compete and not others, for a few
measley months' age difference?  Dumbledore himself says "it is highly
unlikely that students below sixth and seventh year will be able to cope
with [the pressures of the TWT]".  NOT "students below age 17".  So why
the phrasing, unless that's a general age of adulthood?


Andrea


=====
"Reality is for people who lack imagination."

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