Brit-Speak: Drop-Kicking the Students

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 69555

File this under the catagory of... WELL DUH!

---OotP UK(&US)-Hb pg 597 Chapt.30-'Grawp' (somewhat paraphrased)---
"Fred and George ... had not left instructions on how to remove the
swamp that now filled the corridor on the fifth floor of the east
wing. ... Eventually, it was roped off and Filch, ..., was given the
task of PUNTING the students across it to their classroooms."
---end quote---

PUNTING the students across the swamp? 

Well, in the USA, punting means to drop kick a ball, to drop it from
your hands and kick it before it hits the ground. I had visions of
Filch lining up students, and giving them such a swift kick in the
rear-end that they flew across the swamp, were they landed on the
other side, and went off to their classrooms. But I thought it odd
that student would accept this willingly, but assumed that perhaps it
was a magic kick that didn't hurt.

Well DUH!

In Britain, a 'punt' is a flat bottomed boat usually propelled by a
long pole. So Filch wasn't drop-kicking students across the swamp, he
was taking them by boat. 

But the image of Filch kicking student over the swamp is still hilarious.

Just thought I would pass that along.

bboy_mn