[tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: SaS

[Steven Boozer]

> Klingon Word of the Day for Monday, August 08, 2016
> 
> Klingon word: SaS
> Part of speech: verb
> Definition: be horizontal, be shallow (slang), be superficial (slang), be
> uncritical (slang), be unfortunate (slang), be not good (slang)
> Source: KGT

SaS  		be horizontal (v)

(KGT 64):  The thrower first lowers the spear to a horizontal position... then hurls it with great force

(st.k 12/7/1998):  In a multistory structure, the stories are separated by what Klingon architects and builders call a {tlhoy' SaS} "horizontal wall". The side of this "wall" which is the bottom of the upper story is the {rav} "floor"; the side which is the top of the lower story is the {rav'eq} "ceiling"...

SaS  	  	be shallow, be superficial, be uncritical (slang);
        	be unfortunate, be not good (slang):

(KGT 164f.):  This word, literally meaning "be horizontal", refers to someone's intellect. To describe someone as {SaS} is certainly insulting, as in {SaS DIvI' HoD} ("The Federation captain is shallow"--that is, literally, "The Federation captain is horizontal"). This slang expression has apparently been in use for quite a while and is fairly common. Indeed, for this usage of the term, there is no known standard equivalent. {SaS} is also used as an exclamation to express disapproval, comparable to the standard {Do'Ha'} (unfortunate). For example, upon hearing that a ship has been destroyed, one may say simply {SaS} (literally, "horizontal" but suggesting "That's bad, that's unfortunate"). A slang word with a meaning similar to {SaS} is {natlh} (literally, "consume, use up" [see page 155]). The opposite meaning--that is, profound, thorough and good--is often expressed by the slang verbs {chong} (literally, "be vertical") and {qu'} (literally, "be fierce").

(KGT 148):  Literally "be vertical", this word [{chong}] is used to refer to one's intellect, as in {chong tlhIngan SuvwI'} ("The Klingon warrior is profound"--literally, "The Klingon warrior is vertical"). In its literal sense, this word is the opposite of {SaS} ("be horizontal"), and as a slang term, it is an opposite as well, as {SaS} is used to mean "be shallow, superficial". It is most likely that {chong} took on its slang meaning because of the prior existence of {SaS}, which has been used as slang for a much longer time.

SEE ALSO:
beQ 		be flat
nech 		be lateral, move laterally
ghuS 		lower (spear) to horizontal to attack"
chong      be vertical 

N.B. for physical description use {jaQ} "be deep" and {jaQHa'} "be shallow".


--
Voragh
tlhIngan ghantoH pIn'a'
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons