They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat. "Get the mail, Dudley, " said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper. "Make Harry get it."" Get the mail, Harry.""Make Dudley get it."" Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley.

J.k. Rowling
About This Quote

They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat. The first time you hear someone say “the mail” you have no idea what they are talking about. The second time, you have a slight understanding that they mean mail, but think it is odd that they refer to physical letters as “the mail.” As the story continues, their understanding increases until they are familiar with this phrase. As they get older, they will have a better understanding of why this is called “the mail.” The first time someone says it, it is just another way for them to say something.

The second time it is referred to as “the mail;” the third time it is referred to as “the mail;” and finally by the fourth or fifth time, they start to understand what has been said and how it makes sense. The Smelting stick is an instrument used by miners to move ore around in order to separate valuable ores from worthless ores. As children, the characters use this term to refer to their father since he was very strict and harsh at times. Eventually, they start using this term for Uncle Vernon instead of his actual name (Vernon Dursley).

Source: Harry Potter And The Sorcerers Stone

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