tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Aug 19 07:08:04 2013
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Re: [Tlhingan-hol] Klingon Word of the Day: vonlu'
> Klingon Word of the Day for Monday, August 19, 2013
>
> Klingon word: vonlu'
> Part of speech: verb
> Definition: fail utterly (slang)
> Source: KGT
KGT 165-66: This verb literally means "be trapped, entrapped". The verb {von}, usually translated as "trap, entrap", means "put (someone) in a position from which there is no escape." For a Klingon, to be in such a position, to be unable to fight back, is most dishonorable, especially since he or she is likely to be viewed in a helpless state. Thus, it is a sign of utter failure. The slang expression is used in such constructions as {bIvonlu'pu'} ("You have failed completely"; literally, "You have been trapped"). In standard Klingon, the same idea may be expressed by saying {lujbej} (certainly fail), {lujchu'} (fail perfectly), or {lujqu'} (really fail), all based on {luj} (fail). Note that {luj} is also used to mean lose (as in "lose at a game"). To say "I lose" is {jIluj}; to say "I lose in a big way" is {jIlujqu'} or {jIlujchu'}. The slang term {vonlu'} is not used in reference to games. It means "perform most inadequately, ineffectually, unsuccessfully" and is applied to one's performance as a warrior, tactician, political usurper, and the like.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
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