tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon May 12 07:39:57 2008
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
Re: Klingon WOTD: nuch (noun)
>This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Saturday, May 10, 2008.
>
>Klingon word: nuch
>Part of Speech: noun
>Definition: coward
Used in canon:
vubpu' jon nuchpu'. jonbe' tlhInganpu'.
Cowards take hostages. Klingons do not. TKW
"These {nuchpu'} fear the very weapons they sell." (KCD novel, p.85)
Cf. expression {qagh Sopbe'} "He doesn't eat gagh!":
TKW 137: This expression is used to mean that there is something wrong
with someone or that someone is acting suspiciously. It is also a way to
refer to someone as a coward.
Trek notes:
T'Pol tells Lt. Reed that Klingons don't use escape pods as it would be
considered an act of cowardice to abandon ship. (ENT "Sleeping Targs")
*{bIHnuch} "coward!" - K'mpec's reply to Worf's formal admission of
cowardice as part of the discommendation ritual. (TNG "Sins of the Father")
Cultural notes:
TKW 97: "taking a hostage is not a courageous act. Nevertheless, under
certain circumstance, Klingons do take prisoners. [...] Similarly,
commander Kruge seemed to violate the norm when he and his men came across
a group of Federation citizensLieutenant Saavik, David Marcus, and a young
Spockon the Genesis planet and seized them. His intention was to
interrogate them and learn about the Genesis torpedo, not to hold them as
hostages. Thus, when Kirk unexpectedly showed up, it was happenstance, not
cowardice, that put Kruge in the position of being able to take advantage
of the situation.
KGT 50f.: As is well known, it is considered the duty of officers on
Klingon ships to assassinate their immediate superior if the higher-ranking
officer has been judged unfit to serve, perhaps as a consequence of
neglecting his or her duty, demonstrating cowardice, or behaving dishonorably.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons