[tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: qutluch tay

[Steven Boozer]

Klingon word: qutluch tay
Part of speech: noun
Definition: *Kut'luch* ceremony
_______________________________________________

(KGT 61f.):  The {qutluch}, or *kut'luch* in its usual Federation Standard spelling, is a knife associated with Klingon assassins. It has a serrated blade ({Ho' 'etlh} [literally, "tooth blade"]), so it is particularly lethal.  It is also used in a ritual to which it gives its name, the {qutluch tay} ("*Kut'luch* Ceremony"), during which, as a demonstration of courage, a young Klingon preparing to be a warrior attacks someone and actually draws blood for the first time. For Klingons, bloodletting is a usual and expected part of a warrior's training regimen.

The Doctor's holo-son "Jeffrey" was planning on performing the *kut’luch* Ceremony (ritual shedding of a random stranger’s blood) prior to his Rite of Ascension with the help of his two teenage Klingon friends.  Needless to say, the Doctor disapproved.  (The knife shown and identified as a *kut’luch* did not have a serrated edge, but did have a split blade.)  [VOY "Real Life"]

SEE:
qutluch  		*kut'luch* (n) 

(TKW 103):  The *kut'luch* ... is a hand-held blade described as the ceremonial weapon of an assassin... The use of the *kut'luch* by assassins does not mean the weapon is used by no one else, nor does it mean that assassins never use other weapons. The way the weapon is used for ritual is utterly obscure...

qutluch patlh  		*kut'luch* rank (n)

(KGT 110f.):  This phrase means hierarchical structure.  The *kut'luch* is a knife associated with Klingon assassins, so the imagery is one of a list, presumably in a specific order, of intended victims of the *kut'luch*.  To determine one's place in Klingon society or to understand who has authority over whom, one must be aware of the {qutluch patlh} of the military, the government, the house with which one is associated, and so on.

--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons