British term for v-ing and Harry Potter

[skdenn]

I've noticed that "being sick" is a British term for v-ing, with all due respect to everyone from Britain. In the first Harry Potter book, Dudley is outraged over Harry being moved from the stairwell closet into the spare room where Dudley keeps his old junk. J.K. Rowling wrote, "He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smeltings stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and threw his tortoise through the greenhouse roof and still he didn't have his room back." Among the stuff in the spare room is Dudley's first TV set, which he'd kicked his foot through when his favorite show was canceled. Dudley ate all the time, so he probably binged so much he made himself tu. Dudley's weight was a running gag through the Harry Potter series. Lots of people think that's insensitive to overweight people. However, Mrs. Weasley was plump, but she was also nice. Draco was thin, but he was still a jerk.

Susan

[KaydeeJayde]

Yeah, being sick is just another word for vomiting. In australia, it's the same, and I've heard it used by Americans too so I don't think it's just a british english thing. I think that analysing the reasons why Dudley is sick is taking it a little far. The fact is, the kid was quite fat, but he was also a really mean guy and made himself sick to get his parents to try and give him his way

[skdenn]

You're right, Dudley was a spoiled brat.

Susan

[KaydeeJayde]

Yeah, total spoilt brat. There were boys at my primary school like him so when I was reading the HP books, I was putting their faces on him :P