![]() The ill-wishing of the spells is underlined by the sourness of the rhymes used in the spells: nursery-rhymes that ‘slipped somehow, so that the result was not ordinary, or even nice at all.’ Immediately, ‘the little broomstick gave a leap, a violent twist, a kick like the kick of a pony’ and Mary and Tib are transported by flying broomstick to Endor College, school of witchcraft. Endor is no Hogwarts: Madam Mumblechook believes that Mary has come to enrol at the school to learn skills such as ‘Turning milk sour, blighting turnips, making the cows go dry’. While sweeping up leaves with a small broom, Mary accidentally smears the broom in the juice of a fly-by-night flower. The writer effortlessly builds up an atmosphere of magic and suspense, creating an expectation of magic that is fulfilled soon afterwards. Zebedee also tells Mary of the folklore surrounding the flower, including:Īnd ’tis said that in the olden days the witches sought her from the corners of the Black Mountains, and from the place where the old city was and there’s now naught but a pool o’ water. ![]() The cat leads Mary to a clump of unusual purple flowers that she shows to Zebedee the gardener at Red Manor, who names both the cat (Tib) and the blooms (fly-by-night). Lonely Mary’s melancholy is echoed by nature: ‘Everywhere was damp, and decay, and the end of summer’ but then a small black green-eyed cat appears, and adventure and magic begin. (which is deliciously reminiscent of Camilla’s opening line in My Brother Michael). Nothing, thought Mary, nothing could ever happen here Mary, we discover, has missed out on staying with cousins while her parents are abroad, and instead must stay with elderly, deaf Great-Aunt Charlotte in rural Shropshire, a fate which causes Mary to lament that Nothing could have been more depressing, she thought to be plain, to be ten, and to be alone, staring out of her bedroom window on a grey autumn day, and to be called Mary Smith. Published in 1971, the book features beautiful illustrations by Shirley Hughes, the award-winning illustrator and writer.Įven her name was plain. Send us feedback about these examples.Mary Stewart’s first published book for children is called The Little Broomstick. These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'broomstick.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. 2021 Sometimes, if a storm blew the nesting house too close to the open ledge, Noah would poke the green handle of his broomstick out of the window and nudge it securely into the corner of the fire escape again. 2022 In the end, four players were charged with rape and attempted rape of four of their teammates while wielding a broomstick. Emily Mcclanathan, Chicago Tribune, 12 Sep. 2022 Currently traveling the country via broomstick and bubble, respectively, Lissa deGuzman plays Elphaba and Jennafer Newberry appears as Glinda in the touring production. 2023 Sam Richardson owning a magic shop, and, most important, Kathy Najimy flying not a broomstick but what appears to be two Roombas. Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2021 The first-place Denver Nuggets are about as frightening as an old broomstick. Dana Santas, CNN, Raped with a broomstick? - Emma Brown, Washington Post, 22 Feb. ![]() 2023 Keep the broomstick in line with your shoulders. Recent Examples on the Web These include Ken Moreno, who was charged with raping a drunk woman after helping her out of a taxi and one of the officers charged in raping Abner Louima with a broomstick.
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