+JPWAVE Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Hmmmm, I need some clarification. I've seen it spelled both ways in the logs. Are we watching out for "muggles" or are we watching out for "mugglers". Of course I know who they are...I just want to know the proper spelling. Thank you in advance!! Quote Link to comment
+mdplayers Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 The term is borrowed from the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling and it is Muggle/Muggles. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 It started out as geo-muggles (a play on the word from Harry Potter), then was commonly shortened to muggles. Then people started using the verb "muggled" for caches that were stolen (before that plundered was commonly used) and eventually the noun "mugglers" was coined for people who stole caches. More recently newer geocachers started to referring to any non geocacher as a "muggler". Personally I hate the term and don't use it. I think we could have come up with our own rather than swiping it from Harry Potter. But it's become so common that my protests were nothing more than a finger in the dike. To me they are still "non-geocachers". Quote Link to comment
+bittsen Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Here is where the problem arises. The term "muggle" literally means "a common person, esp. one who is ignorant or has no skills" So, muggle is a noun, in proper context BUT when someone refers to caches as being muggled, it's a verb. To "muggle" a cache, is also a verb. So, what happens is some people apply the "er" to muggle to denote a person who acts out the verb. Just as "run" is a verb, a "runner" is someone who runs. Muggle, as a verb is changed to muggler as a noun. Quote Link to comment
+WRASTRO Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Without getting too deep here, I have always used the word "muggle" when describing someone who does not know about geocaching. To me a muggler would be someone who actually steals a cache. While Harry Potter made this a much more popular word it has been around for decades with various meanings. We tend to use it as has been described; to refer to someone who is not a geocacher. Quote Link to comment
+JPWAVE Posted September 28, 2009 Author Share Posted September 28, 2009 Wow, thanks for the responses!! I do appreciate the history and now I have a much better understanding. Personally, I've never cared for the Harry Potter movies, books... So, this term is new to me. In summary, it sounds like I should report that there were either "no muggles" (someone who is within the area but has no idea what I'm doing) or perhaps "no potential mugglers" (someone who sees what I'm doing and then might try to steal the cache) in sight. Hmmm, I guess either spelling can work then, huh? Is one spelling more correct than the other?? Thanks again for the replies. Quote Link to comment
+WRASTRO Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 No need to report anything regarding muggles unless they played a role in your cache hunt. Quote Link to comment
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