Snape! Snape! Snape! Snape! Loverly Snape! Wonderful Snape! (long)

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 148261

> Shaun:
> 
> So am I, in general. And normally I wouldn't bring a dictionary 
> into the discussion, unless there was a need to define a word 
> people really didn't know. But in this case, other people have 
> brought dictionaries into the discussion, and I think that some of 
> the definitions given in those dictionaries are *way* too loose. 

zgirnius:
Well, I thought the discussion was about what Rowling means when she 
calls Snape a 'sadistic teacher' in that one interview. It seems quite 
plausible to me that she might not adhere exclusively to usages which 
have the iprimatur of the OED, especially when speaking 
extemporaneously. 

Perhaps it is not correct to use 'sadistic' when one means 'extremely 
cruel'. But it is apparently a common enough usage to make it into 
three different online dictionaries. Which is why I brought it up.