Friday, September 25, 2009

Hermione Granger-ize

J. K.'s inspiration for Hermione's last name? There is that scene with Harry and Hermione in the library when Madam Pince chases them out for having desecrated a book by writing in it...

 Wordsmith.orgThe Magic of Words 

This week's theme
Words about censorship and destruction of books

This week's words
comstockery
imprimatur
bowdlerize
nihil obstat
grangerize

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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

grangerize


PRONUNCIATION:
(GRAYN-juh-ryz)
MEANING:
verb tr.:
1. To mutilate a book by clipping pictures out of it.
2. To illustrate a book by adding pictures cut from other books.

ETYMOLOGY:
After James Granger (1723-1776), an English clergyman whose Biographical History of England had blank leaves for illustrations, to be filled with pictures, clippings, etc. by the reader.

USAGE:
"Bagtoothian looked up from his reading, An Illustrated History of Sparta, which he proceeded to grangerize."
Roger Rosenblatt; Beet: A Novel; HarperCollins; 2008.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
The most miserable pettifogging in the world is that of a man in the court of his own conscience. -Henry Ward Beecher, preacher and writer (1813-1887)

4 comments:

JJT said...

it occurs to me that grangerizing might be a really great pedagogical tool, and easily adapted to online formats as well...using voicethread or something similar...hmmmm...

kristen said...

A friend is naming her new baby Bella. She isn't familiar with TWILIGHT, so I'm not sure if she understands that it would be like naming her "Hermione." Or "Fleur."

JJT said...

in the unpredictable realm of baby nomenclature, no name is really safe. sigh.

but so far, "Clare" seems to have been a good bet.

but please tell me her middle name will be "Donna"? ;)

Keith Brenton said...

Beecher is wrong. I am right. I am always right.