Thats why I said this

Also

I actually laughed out loud, since it's pronounced like a German word that is commonly used to describe wanking.

 

As a German, this was honestly very funny.

From a writing perspective though, I don‘t think it really works if it‘s used more frequently than for a couple of really specific phrases.

What makes the Smurfs example great is that you always have pictures to accompany the usage, be it in the comics or the TV show. In a fanfic, those nonverbal clues would be missing, potentially leaving quite a bit of ambiguity unless you interrupt the natural flow of dialogue to construct it very distinctly around the use of the substitute word. The first example vs. the others would actually be a pretty good example of that. With the first one, I‘d imagine the reader would need some sort of clue to arrive at the exact meaning of the word (e.g. mention of ”casting“ in previous line), whereas with the rest the implication should be obvious.

It‘s a really interesting concept, though, and definitely a quirk I could see becoming entrenched in ”Wizard English“ after over 300 years of more or less strictly enforced linguistic separation from the Muggles.

 

Yeah Ched's examples all make sense as idiomatic statements. It's Aloudas idea of replacing every adjective and verb in a conversation that baffles me, and I think could only work in a crack fic.

Having a word that can generically mean "magic" makes a lot of sense.

"Is your wife at home?"
"Yes, she's upstairs wixing...don't ask me what she's doing, I don't understand half of it!"

 

Something I read some time ago (I'd love to credit the author but I don't know what fic it was in):

"There's no reason to change Abraxans mid flight." Don't over complicate things, though it could also be restructured as a never change a running system type of idiom.

From my own (slightly drunk) mind:
"Cool your cauldron!" Relax bro.
"You're guarding the wrong hoop!" You're barking up the wrong tree, but only Wood uses it.
"Chug the potion." Bite the bullet.
"It's not alchemy!" It's not rocket science!

Can anyone think of an analogue to "The best thing since sliced bread"?

 

The best thing since the self stirring cauldron?

Nearly as good as a self spelling wand?

 

Taure uses "the best thing since Merlin" in Victoria Potter.

Personally I'd go with "the best thing since pumpkin juice".

 

I prefer the self stirring cauldron, it makes sense as an invention in universe while the self spelling wand would probably be highly impractical.

Edit: Drunk me is unable to form sentences.

 

Yeah, I got the self spelling wand reference from PoA:

"I don't care what Fudge keeps telling the Daily Prophet, we're no nearer catching Black than inventing self-spelling wands."

Which, thinking about it, actually works as an idiom for impossibility!

Thats as likely as a self spelling wand. Or some variant?

 

I don't particularly like the Merlin thing since he is already used as a replacement of Jesus Christ/God (By Merlin!).

However pumpkin juice has some potential, the issue I see is that that pumpkin juice would be more analogues to plain bread, while sliced bread implies a slight increase in comfort/decrease in required work to get something common. Maybe bottled Pumpkin juice? But that just doesn't roll of the tongue now does it?

 

"The best thing since merlin's saggy y fronts"?
Please don't murder me.

 

Perhaps "the best thing since pumpkin pasties" instead? In this case the pumpkin would be analog to the bread and making pasties out of it would be slicing it.

 

"The best thing since they started to bottle butterbeer"

 

Thats quite different. The sliced bread thing is a reference to saved time and effort, a provision of consistency and efficiency. Making a whole new product is the opposite.

 

"The best thing since bottled firewhiskey"

 

Hmmm, I think butterbeer works better for it since a spirit like firewhisky would likely have been sold/stored by the bottle for far longer than a low alcohol beer which would have been on tap for the most part I'd have thought.

 

Huh, and I always thought it was about making it more appetizing. Though I suppose that's, because I know it as the best thing since toasted bread, which is anything but time saving.

Then yeah I'd go with your bottled butterbeer.

 

Oh yeah, if you were using "best thing since toasted bread" then pumpkin pasties definitely works as the translation.

 

Thought of a couple more phrases as I was plotting out a story idea tonight:

“That‘s about as likely as a troll solving the Prophet‘s crossword puzzle.”

“He hit the quaffle with a beater‘s bat.” (Making an easily avoidable mistake.)

“stirring the cauldron” (equivalent to “stirring the pot” – Although I get the sense that I might‘ve read this one before… perhaps even upthread?)

“dodging a bludger“ (equivalent to “dodging a bullet”)

And, inspired by the current discussion:

“Who spiked your pumpkin juice?” (Calling out erratic or otherwise disturbing behaviour.)