flibbertigibbet

flibbertigibbet \ FLIB-er-tee-jib-it \ noun

1. Archaic . a gossip.
2. a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.

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Believe it or not, this word sounded familar, then I remembered hearing it in one of the Harry Potter movies - or maybe I read it in one of the books - but I didn't remember in which book or movie or in what context. Thanks to the World Wide Interwebs, I was reminded it was used as a password to get into the Gryfindor dormitory. I also discovered it was used in the song "Maria" in the 1959 musical The Sound of Music as well as in the Tom Hanks movie Joe Versus the Volcano.

I'm betting that I'll never read the word ever again in my life and I'm absolutely certain I'll never use it in conversation, even though I know a few flibbertigibbets.

Where Dwell the Brave at Heart

You Belong in Gryffindor

You are brave and honorable. You are willing to take a risk if there is a bit of glory in it. You love a good adventure, and you are drawn to action. You get right in the mix, sometimes before thinking. You are a big believer in justice, and you are willing to fight for what's right. You stand up for what you believe in. You hate being bored, and you are always looking for a new challenge. You like to prove yourself to the world.

What Hogwarts House Do You Belong In?

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I've taken other similar quizzes and I've always been placed in Gryffindor in those as well. That said, this quiz is pretty transparent and it's easy to manipulate the answers to get the results you want.

I honestly think that, if I was a young wizard in Great Britain, I would be placed in Gryffindor if for no other reason than the sorting hat would have no other options.  I'm not nearly brainy enough to be in Ravenclaw, not evil or conniving enough to be in Slytherin and I'm basically too damn lazy to be in Hufflepuff.

I'd love to read a book or books about an American school of wizardry - the Texas students would probably have their own Quidditch team.  Not that I've dwelt on it a lot, but I've wondered what position I'd play on the team - I'm too nearsighted to be a seeker and I don't think I'd like keeper - I'd probably be a beater or chaser.

And yes, i love the books and movies and just re-read the series, can't you tell?

filch

filch verb (used with object) to steal (especially something of small value);
pilfer: to filch ashtrays from fancy restaurants.

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I knew this word, but I didn't think of it straight off when I saw it as the word of the day.  Instead, I thought of this character:

Argus Filch

I guess it's time to quit watching HP movies every time they come on the tube.

pensée

pensée \pahn-SEY\ , noun:
A reflection or thought.

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One of the things I really loved about the Harry Potter series was the way J.K. Rowling cleverly turned a word or phrase, particularly about the spells ("Lumos" for light to come from a wand - "illuminate") and potions ("Veritaserum", a truth serum which is derived from Veritas, the Roman goddess of truth)  Then there were also main characters such as Professor Lupin, a werewolf (and lupine means wolf-like; the Latin term for wolf is "Canis lupus") or Harry's godfather Sirius Black (Sirius, the brightest star in the sky is also known as the dog star and Black could change into a dog). There are dozens more examples. (but you will have to read the books or see the movies if you haven't already)

This word was one I wasn't familiar with, but she used it for the Pensieve, the memory storage basin in Dumbledore's office and which featured prominently in several of the books, and particularly in the last part of the last book where Harry finds out the truth about Snape.

Yes, Rowling was very clever with these names and descriptions;  now she's rich!