"Harry, your eyesight really is awful."
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Alistair Ballcocke was a wizard whose name was carved into a wood panel on the wall of Professor Trelawney's Divination classroom.[1][2]
Etymology[]
Ballcocke is an alternate spelling of the English surname Balcock, which derives from the diminutive suffix -cock combined with either Bald, a pet form of the Germanic male given name Baldwin, or the Old English beald ("brave," "bold").[3]
A ballcock is a mechanism for filling water tanks (such as in flush toilets) designed to prevent overflow and backflow.[4]
Alistair is the anglicised form of Alasdair. Alasdair is the Scottish form of Alexander, which means "defending men".
Behind the scenes[]
- This character was presumably named after Alastair Bullock, the assistant art director on the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Appearances[]
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) (Name seen on wood panel)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)(Name seen on the Marauder's Map after Fred and George had shown it to Harry for the first time)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) - Chapter 21 (Professor Trelawney's Prediction) (see this image)
- ↑ Prisoner of Azkaban set report from the Leaky Cauldron
- ↑ A Dictionary of English Surnames by P. H. Reaney and R. M. Wilson
- ↑ "Ballcock" on Wikipedia