OotP Mistake (spoilers) me backside

[mooseming]

No: HPFGUIDX 67548

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Richelle Votaw" <rvotaw at i...>
wrote:
> Cindy wrote:
> 
> > I have found a mistake in Order of The Phoenix as well, it's in
> > Chapter 5, page 79:
> > Sirius says to Harry "...having to take all his snide hints that he's
> > out there risking his life while I'm sat on my backside..."
> > This shoulde either be "while I've sat on my back side" or "while I'm
> > sitting on my backside". 
> 
> > Richelle replied

> Grammatically, yes, it would sound better as you've changed it. 
However, I think his intention was something like " . . . risking his
life while Dumbledore has sat me on my backside."  That he was put on
his backside instead of purposely sat on his backside.  That he had no
choice.  Not grammatically great, but it's how people frequently speak
nonetheless.
>

I recognise this phrase as an English colloquialism which is usually
"sat on me backside" or "sat here on me backside". 

It can be used in self criticism/motivation as in "oh well, I should
get to work and not be sat here on me backside".

When said about another person as in "there was he sat on his
backside, while we did all the work" it implies wilful laziness and
shirking.

It also means feeling useless in a resentful way, for example "there
she was moving all the furniture by herself and here was me, sat on me
backside, with two broken legs and a chronic heart condition."

It always means being unproductive.

I think it was changed in the book to "sat on my backside" because the
substitution of my with me is something only Brits would recognise. Or
fans of old British B/W movies with a strong cockney presence!

Jo
promoting English as she is spoken