yes, there was an actual swear word.
i was shocked. horrified. disgusted. and then i giggled a bit.

i forget the page number, but it's in one of the penesieve scenes, where voldemort visits his Gaunt uncle. He uses the 's' word to describe voldemort's mother.

me, and many of my friends find this quite inappropriate, but very funny. do you think that the editor missed it somehow? can j.k do that?

not only was there this little slip up, but there were countless references to rude hand gestures.
i mean i don't think there was a chapter where there wasn't some sort of reference to a rude hand gesture or swearing.

won't somebody please think of the children!!!

this is my first thread, so excuse any hoplessness on my part, or if this thread already exists.

I think that JK is writing the books at times when children, who have been reading or kept up with the story, have also grown older. I think she targets a certain age group with her words. Ron has used profanity since book 3 so I'm not surprised to see a little more surface.
Sure, you need to think of the kids, but Harry, Ron and Hermione are middle age teenagers. How many teenagers do you know that have not been exposed to this kind of profanity?

At least she says that the character "swore loudly" instead of inserting the actual word. That way, if a younger reader knows any swear words, they can "insert here". Otherwise, it is left really open. Hand gestures. Well, there is one hand gesture we all imagine when reading this, however, it is open to interpretation too. That is why she is a good writer. She does not have to spell everything out for you.

I find it HARD to believe that anyone mature enough to be reading the 6th book of HP has never seen/heard/used a swear word or a rude hand gesture.

I thought it was totally cool, it really showed that harry potter is an adult thing, nothing for small children.. besides, it's not forbidden to swear in books, is it?

Well, I mean, it wasn't like it was Harry, Ron, or Hermione saying it, and it wasn't lingered on. I appreciate the fact that they usually make an effort to say "swore loudly", but this was kind of nessicary. I was a little surprised by the alarming number of times Harry swore in this one. It was only like once in book 5.

I agree that anyone who is reading this should be grown up enough to be able to handle a swear word..these books arent for children anymore..I truly believe that a child wont understand half of the book this time as it is very detailed and has subjects that are way over a childs head...lets face it they are all 16-17 years old now and what 16 year old has never swore?? I think it shows that they are growing up and its not like there is a swear word at every other line...

Hey there, sweetsweet, and welcome to Veritaserum! I'd just like to remind you that netspeak is against the forum rules ('u' should be 'you') -- I've edited it for you this time, but please watch out for that sort of thing in the future.

As for the swear word, I basically agree with what everyone else has said; HBP is not a book for kids, so I think that a bit of profanity is to be expected, and I'm not really offended by it. That being said, I think I'd have a bit more of an issue if JKR started tossing around the 'f' word instead. But really, swear words are a part of the majority of teenagers' vocabulary... and we know that JKR is trying to create a cast that grows up in a very realistic way. As for sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds who have never sworn, though, pigwidigon... *waves*

I think that she used that kind of words for the desribing of the Salazar's.
That they indeed were really, really filthy and disgusting people.
The filth lying in the family and in their house in that memory was almost as bad as that word.
I think it's okay. Didn't bother me really that she used a awear word. Bur I did notice that a bit of the languege (don't know how to spell that word)
has changed a bit.. Harryand his ffriends has grown now and you can hear in Harry's tone with techers that he is much more grown now than in the other books. I think there's a larger difference between book 5-6 than in any of the other books.

It seems appropriate that adult language comes out of the mouths of almost adults. They come of age next year. It is iteresting to see how the characters have "aged" in mannerisms.
Maybe this is just the gateway to a more mature book 7.
"knockin' da boots" in Hogwarts?
The girls can still get into the guys beds, even if the boys cant get in theirs.
Is it getting hot in here? Or did you all just think of Harry/Ginny Ron?Hermy porn?

Arguendo, I really don't think so. I mean, Jo may not be a childrens' author, but children do read her books. That would be out of place. And it wasn't Harry, Ron, or Hermione who said it.

Right, well I'm going to step in here real fast before this gets out of hand.

I know this topic is going to start going in the direction of the books getting more mature, but lets keep it PG, aight? There are younger people that visit this site, and there's really nothing good that can come from this discussion.

So steer the conversation back to swear words/the growing maturity of the books, but stay away from anything PG 13.

Thanks,
Mason.

I think she made him swear to show that he in fact is a bad person, a very very bad person.

MOD EDIT: Please have a look at the rules; one liners are not allowed on VTM. I'd appreciate it if you would be more careful in the future. Thanks, Mason.

For crying out loud, "Slut" is not a swear word (and will argue to the death any contributor, mod or prefect that says otherwise). It's simply used in this context to describe a concept many of us would prefer to ignore, i.e. illigitimacy and a sad tale of unrequited love.

If she'd realed off a string of quotes from Pulp Fiction, f-ing this and f-ing that then I might be inclined to agree but this is completely "ridikulus". Well done JKR for keeping it right on the level.

Sorry, not like me to rant but this really hit my buttons.

I have to say that I was more shocked at the expression "effing" That Mr Dursley said in book 5 than by whoever it was saying 'slut' in this one.

While slut isn't a overally nice word, it's not a swear word. While I've always thought 'eff-ing' is just as bad as saying the actual word that it stands for, so that kinda shocked me.

The word was "slut", wasn't it??? :| But it's ok, there are worst swears... I think a couple of swears add reallity to the story, don't you think?? Plass, it's not usual that a character SWEAR (I mean, say the word out loud). I also don't think "slut" is a swear word.

I think you need to step back and take a look, at the word.

Mind you I have heard worse coming out of the mouths of the 16 year olds at my Daughter's school.

There are words that we now look at as swear words but are not. We as a Civil Society have tried to put a stopper in some of the greatest books ever written ( example...Huck Finn) do to the fact that the language isn't PC. why don't you take it for what it is Art. Written Art.

Again I would suggest you step back and listen to the song on the CD you just bought from the store. Or the Movie you just rented.

You also have to remember that she is trying to have to book grow up with her readers. I don't think that the next book will be a "porno" or anything like that at all. I think it takes a dirty mind to see something like that coming from a book that will have these kids 17 years old.


I just read the book and to be honest it took me all of 1 day to read the book.

Slut isn't a swear word. I must admit i was a bit shocked when i saw it, but then i just shrugged and carried on readoing. I think it made it more real to tell you the truth.

Weither the word "slut" is or isn't a slut isn't the problem. I agrue that it isn't a swear word. It was also completely in Morfin's character of the Ewell (To kill a Mockingbird fame) southern hick, angry and quite insane character to call Merope a slut.

get over it!! omg these books arent for very young children and they ron calls ginny a slut too but its not a big deal.

I agree with the majority.

As the book progresses the content matures. Everyone should have noticed it by now. It was a bit PG since book 4. As I have already said before on other topics: JKR is keeping it real.

But on the issue of children reading the recent volumes the parents should keep in check.

okay, i agree that perhaps the book is meant for older readers, but nobody can deny that a vast majority of the readers are children.
it's probably not a big deal, but i find that word offensive towards women especially, so i can safely say its a swear word, if someone called me a 'slut' i wouldn't exactly be happy.
personally, i'm not fussed too much about swearing, as a 17 year old i swear often, and as much as possible as punctuation.
what surprised me the most about this swear word, is that it was not edited out, as the harry potter books are probably closely censored.
i agree with Ygraine, i did raise an eyebrow laughed, read the line again and kept reading.
i hope people don't get the impression that i'm making this into a moralistic crusade, i dont think its that big a deal, saying 'i was shocked, horrified, disgusted' was a joke, but when i think about it, i probably sound like some sort of enraged mother.
i'm just interested to see what everybody thinks about the inclusion of this profanity (and yes it is a profanity)
also i suppose as i've been reading the books for a good 8+ years now, it was a bit of a surprise at how much her writing has changed.

totally agree with you i didn't even look at it twice jus carried on i don't really know what the fuss is all about.

Im not sure how the word is viewed in America, but in the UK, especially where im from, the word Slut is seen as a VERY offensive word towards women. I personally have no grievences with the word, but I could see that there would be some who find it offensive.

I think its mainly down to personal opinion, but would you really want your 8 - 10 year old son or daughter asking you what a slut is?

The irony is that I think 'git' is technically more profane than slut, and that's been used by Ron for yonks! Ho-hum. (No pun intended!)

Sorry if I was narky before, really muggy weather combined with England losing the cricket and about 6 pints!

AHH Didnt want to know the cricket result but what can ya do

I think that you could get away with Git a lot more, as its sort of thrown around without any real meaning to it, but the word Slut, especially when used with force can be extremely offensive.

And its STILL raining here!! May get sunnier later... but i doubt it. British weather sucks

why do you care about "he swore" "he swore loudly"...?

i swore too at the very end of the book ._.

Kids this days know a lot more that i did at age 10...
they learned everything from television...please don't
make a fuzz about a *little* hint of "swearing" in this book
or any other book ._.

silly question but.... what does git mean?
you don't really hear it much in australia you see, and like the UK slut is an offensive word. git sounds like a word for pimple.
hmm i would probably say slut was a word for raincoat if a child asked me.

lol - a raincoat.

The word Git is used to describe a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible. So basically its not hugely offensive, more of a snasty way of describing someone most people generally wouldnt like.

And whos making a fuss?? We were just casually saying that we can easily see how some people may find the word offensive.

I was surprised too. Not that the word was used but that her editors actually allowed it. I mean a kid can pick up any book at the library which has far worse in it than just 'slut' but these books are specifically for a younger audience.

I'm glad she used it though; it really shows you what kind of a family it was.

I think that even though they were originally aimed at an audience of 10/11 - we, the readers, we intended to grow up with the book, so its now mainly aimed at 19/21 year olds. (based on the theory i'd just turned 13 when PS/SS came out) So i personally dont think it is any longer aimed specifically at the younger readers, more at a slightly older reader, hence the reason the publishists let the word "through"

yes 'blah' knows what i'm talking about! yay!
nick also makes a good point.
i wasn't trying to make a fuss, i just thought it was very interesting to see how J.K's writing has changed.

Sweetsweet, yes, it can be seen as offensive towards women but that is why JKR used it, to show how horrible a family the Gaunt's were.

And as for parents who may be up in arms about the word Slut being used, well to be honest I am sure they hear far worse in the playground and to be honest, if you are concerned about children reading that particular word, which I would hardly call a profanity, then surely you would be just as concerned about the running theme of murder that is contained in the book?

If I had children I would be more concerned about them having nightmares about that rather than seeing the word slut!

"Slut" isn't a swear word. It isn't a nice word, and I personally don't like the word, but it's not considered swearing. I was a little surprised that it was in there, too...but the way JKR used that word was OK because it fit the character who said it. If DD had said it, I would've probably made a big deal out of it. But like I said, it fit where she put it.

What was the actual sentence Morfin said when he used the word 'slut'? There's a UK usage of the word that basically means a lazy, habitually untidy woman, i.e. no sexual connotation whatsoever.

Now, I'm not naive enough to think that JKR doesn't know the traditional definition of slut, but is it possible she meant it this way instead? (I don't have the book on me so I can't check the actual sentence).

First before I state my views on this subject I am going to give you the definitions of some of the words that might be considered questionably that have been used. I should issue a small warning to younger member.


Snog :
snuggle and lie in a position where one person faces the back of the others

Git:
a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible; "only a rotter would do that"; "kill the rat"; "throw the bum out"; "you cowardly little pukes!"; "the British call a contemptible person a `git'" [syn: rotter, dirty, dog, rat, skunk, stinker, stinkpot, bum, puke, crumb, low life, scum bag, so-and-so]

Prat:
n : the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on; "he deserves a good kick in the butt"; "are you going to sit on your fanny and do nothing?" [syn: buttocks, nates, butt, backside, bum, buns, can, fundament, hindquarters, hind end, keister, posterior, rear, rear end, rump, stern, seat, tail, tail end, tooshie, tush, bottom, behind, derriere, fanny, ass]

Slut:
A woman considered sexually promiscuous. A woman prostitute. A slovenly woman; a slattern. (I personally think, as do many I know, think this word should also apply to men.)

There you have it, now to my thoughts on the matter.

I personally had no problem with this word being in the book, and I do not consider it a swear word. I was surprised like many others that it was used, but I found it necessary to the story. Like someone already I was more shocked about the "effing" part in OotP than I was with the word "slut" in HBP.

I hope the definitions were helpful as some of you did not know what all of them meant.


I apologize to the mods if the post was inappropriate.

MOD EDIT : For the most part, no, but I think you knew you were pushing the boundaries with some parts of that, hence it's been edited. Explaining something or not, the use of some of those words was inappropriate.

I agree with the fact that the readers are growing older. Plus, I think anyone younger would be intimidated by a book that big (I know people who are fourteen who are). People who've been reading the books since the originally came out have definately grown older. I remember being in grade three or something and the fourth book had just come out (I was so young!).

Anyways, I think that JK is obligated to use any word she wants...even if it is inapproriate. But, it's not like they're cussing 24/7!! I didn't really mind it. Plus...I don't think it's very realistic for no one to ever swear.

I must say I most disagree with people saying that all teenagers swear.
I am 13 and have never sworn in my life. And what is this about 14 year olds being intimidated by big books. i am 13 and I have read the Hobbit (most boring book ever) and each Harry Potter. In my opinion the bigger the better
and when was this in the Order of the Phoenix

[color=green]It wasn't suprising to read a word like that:

1. i go to high school you here worse words than that

2: there growing up and so are the readers and if you think that 10 year olds don't know swear words or rude words, then next time you see one talk to one and ask.

Wow.. so much drama.
To me JKR's writing moves so fast and seamlessly that I barely had time to register the word until the 7th time I read the book!
I am 16. The same age as the trio (Except for Hermy who was already 17) was in HBP. I actually am surprised that they don't curse more!
I bet you're all like
Before you get all shocked, let me explain.
If you were a teen going to a boarding school- a co-ed one at that- and had no parental supervision, what rules would stop you from saying whatever you want when you are with your friends?

Stay in school, kids.

Couldn't pass this one up.

Unlike most of you, I am a Mom of three kids and not a young Mom anymore, either.

I had no problem with "slut" being used and, in fact, I was really surprised to read that JKR's editors won't let her use more profanity as she has wanted to, especially in Ron's case. Her words in an interview I read I believe was "Ron is a kid who would swear."

Yeah, he is.

Book 6 is not a book I'd read to my 6-year-old and offers plenty of opportunity for discussion between my 10-year-old and myself. He's heard all the swear words already at school and I'd rather I or his Dad make sure he understands what they mean and why they are inappropriate but used often but some people.

Frankly, I think they should let her use the words she wants to use that she deems appropriate to her characters. It's my job as a parent to preview material to deem if it is appropriate for my kids or not, not an editor's job.

As for the "rude hand gestures" I'll be curious to see if they appear in the movie. I think they should as it'll most likely be PG13 here in the US and if not over-used, is in character for Ron.

I think most people swear. Maybe not all the time, but when people are mad they swear. I don't think the word slut, is a swear word, its more like a horrible way to describe someone.

This may sound immature, but honestly, i've never heard that word befor, and didn't know that it was a swear word. I assumed that it was just one of those wierd brittish words and passed over it. the cantext was enough for me to get a general idea of what it meant, so it didn't give me any trouble. As for the increase of swear and hand gesture references, that is just to be expected. Harry is growing up, he is becoming a man, just like those around him. I try not to swear, but most of the kids do it. a lot. Since they didn't actually put what word/gesture was used, i don't think it is that bad. HP isn't for little kids, I have been reading since the age of 8, but the later books are much more mature and deep, the readers are growing up with the books.

16 and 17, they're ages when moods vary loads. i suppose the rude hand gestures and swearing are to be expected from them at this age. i don't mean they're good and should be used, it's just that swearing seems to occur when people are angry, and at 17 you are almost always angry with everyone.
if JK had written them, i would have been a little worried, as young kids read these books, but if they can cope with a DADA teacher having LV in the back of his head, i'm sure they can cope with Ron dropping a few boxes and making a rude hand gesture.

it's like another language, but i'm relieved that JK doesn't make them too frequent. i think she's balanced it perfectly.

I didnt actually notice a swear word in the whole book (mine is first edition) I did how ever notice a rude"s" word but I and many others wouldnt class it as a swear word. It is just another way of discribing a badly behaved lady lol or maybe my book doesnt have the swear word *lscratches head*

THIS MESSAGE IS FOR SHARINGBLUE. I DON'T REALLY THINK YOU CAN SAY THAT KIDS ARE DUMB AND THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS. I HAVE LOADS OF OLDER FRIENDS AND YOUNGER FRIENDS AND THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT slut MEANS. I was really offended when you said that because children are not dumb and nothing gives you the right to call them that. you may be older and you may think your smarter but remember when you were a kid and think how you'd feel.


Slut is not a big deal.

First of all, everyone has a limit to what they think of as a "swear" word, and I think for most people, it is whatever words are offensive to them. Let's try not to attack people for having different views of what is offensive.

I, personally, try not to swear, as it is not a very positive practice, but there are times of frustration when those things slip out. As previously stated numerous times, JKR is trying to keep things real and she is not the type of person to sugar-coat anything. To me, the concept of murder is worse than anything else. Murder has been mentioned in every book. My father (who is 50) was surprised at the amount of snogging in this book, and didn't like that.

I really enjoy these books, however, I would not read them to my kids. When they're older and mature enough, they will probably read them, and we can have hour long discussions about them. My much younger brother, who is 12, reads them and I think he just skims over the uncomfortable parts or the things that he doesn't understand. Someone said that it is up to the parents to moniter what their kids read, and I am all for that.

For me, although there are many mature thematic elements in the books, I like them because of the main message of good conquering evil, courage, etc. For that, I can put up with the other stuff. Isn't that just like life, though?

I am a teenager and I have never sworn or made a "rude hand gesture" ever. And I think that it was terrible what Dursley said in book five, and what Gaunt said in book six. My parents had a fit, and I almost stopped the book. There was no need for that word, it is a terrible word. I love her writing but there is a limit. I also was uneasy at the "snogging",I would never do anthing like that ,so it was a little surprising. Keep in mind that this is a source of entertainment, and that is not how I would like to define my oppinion of "entertainment".