tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Mar 10 07:46:56 2008
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Re: Klingon WOTD: ghoQ (verb)
>This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Sunday, March 9, 2008.
>
>Klingon word: ghoQ
>Part of Speech: verb
>Definition: be fresh, just killed (meat)
Never used in a canon sentence.
>KGT p. 85. Other than that which is served alive, the best meat is {ghoQ}
>("fresh, just killed").
KGT 35: The word {ghoQ} ["fresh"], in its most narrow usage, applies to
just-killed meat.
KGT 163: The word {Qop} ... is also used to mean "be dead", but only in
reference to an animal that one was expecting to eat live. If a bowl of
dead {qagh} (gagh, serpent worms) is placed before a Klingon, the
disappointed diner will probably criticize the cook for preparing {qagh
Qop} ("dead gagh").
>Additional Notes:
>See also {baQ}.
KGT 85: A vegetable or fruit that is {baQ} ("fresh, just picked, just
fallen off the plant"), on the other hand, is not as favored as one that is
{DeH} ("ripe", though "overripe" might be closer to the mark)...
Related nouns:
{Hol ghoQ} ("fresh language") and {mu'mey ghoQ} ("fresh words"), i.e. "slang":
KGT 35: Younger Klingons describe some of the vocabulary used by their
elders as {mu'mey Doy'} ("tired words"), preferring to use what they call
{mu'mey ghoQ} ("fresh words") or even {Hol ghoQ} ("fresh language") ...
Perhaps "slang" is a good translation of {mu'mey ghoQ}. Some older Klingons
incorporate some of the {mu'mey ghoQ} into their own speech, though some
claim to not understand the {mu'mey ghoQ} at all (nor are they quite sure
what the term itself means). Any visitor to a Klingon planet will
undoubtedly encounter {mu'mey ghoQ} and should learn as many slang words as
possible ahead of time in order to fit in easily and to avoid having to ask
for explanations. New words are constantly coming into use, however, so
some asking is inescapable. On the other hand, a visitor should be keenly
aware that some Klingons use more slang than others, and some try to ignore
the phenomenon entirely. To avert potential unpleasantness, the best tactic
is to avoid using slang in conversation until someone else has first. ...
Examples of {mu'mey ghoQ} are given in the chapter on "Language Change and
Staying Current", under "Vocabulary: Slang," pages 142-167.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons