tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Nov 19 13:12:53 2008
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RE: New (old?) pun? (was: Here's a fun one: )
mor'taH:
>> A friend wanted some cowboy sayings translated [...]:
>>
>> Don't squat with yer spurs on.
>> jIba'Qo' DaSpu'lIj
>>
>> jI/ba'/Qo' Daspu'/lIj
>> you/sit/don't (on) Bootspike/your
Voragh:
> I would use {ba'choH} "sit down" here:
>
> DaSpu'lIjDaq yIba'choHQo'!
> Don't sit (down) on your bootspike!
>
> I had another idea.
> [....]
> Although worn on a different part of the boot, {DaSpu'} is nearly perfect
> cultural equivalent for "spur". If you want to get the imagery right,
> though, you could coin a new word, e.g. *{va'nuchpu'} "heel (of foot) +
> clawlike spike".
> [....]
> And since it doesn't really matter whether you jab yourself in the
> {Sa'Hut} (buttocks) with one spur or two, you could drop the optional
> plural suffixes to make it even pithier:
>
> DaSpu' DatuQtaHvIS, yItorQo'!
> While you-are-wearing a bootspike, don't kneel!
>
> va'nuchpu' DatuQtaHvIS, yItorQo'!
> While you-are-wearing a heelspike, don't kneel!
>
> The anatomical implications still aren't quite right, but I think this is
> as close as I can get.
I think I've discovered another of Okrand's Spanish puns.
There was an article today in the local Spanish-language newspaper on Chicago's continuing war against the pigeons which stated that putting *redes* (nets) and *púas* (spikes, prongs) on ledges have both failed. Checking the dictionary at:
http://www.wordreference.com/es/en/translation.asp?spen=pua
I discovered that in Chile and Venezuela (and probably elsewhere) *púa* can mean "spike" *en zapatos de atletismo*! So, Klingon {DaSpu'} is actually a Euro-pun (German-Spanish)!
--
Voragh
Canon Master of the Klingons
(Quot hominess, tot sententiae -- Terence)