[tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: roSwI'

[Steven Boozer]

Klingon word: roSwI'
Part of speech: noun
Definition: third toe
Source: HQ:v10n2p10
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AFAIK never used in a sentence.

PUN: "This little piggy had roast beef" {roS} and "cried 'wee, wee, wee' {-wI'} all the way home"! 

SEE:
roS  		use the third toe (v) 

(HQ 10.2:10-11):  {roS} "use the third toe" is phonetically identical to {roS} "lick" as well as the {roS} found in {roSHa'moH} "paralyze" [...]  A verb {roS} having anything to do with general mobility does not occur except in {roSHa'moH}. If the toe verb {roS} is the same verb, paralyze means "cause to not use the third toe". Perhaps mobility of the third toe was associated somehow with mobility in general. Indeed, there is an idiomatic expression {pe'vIl roS} "he/she uses his/her third toe forcefully" which conveys the idea that he or she is particularly agile or nimble or spry. On the other hand, maybe the motions of the Klingon third toe look like a tongue licking.

(HQ 10.2:11):  There is a joke, Maltz recalled, about someone trying to lick some food off of a stirring stick while wearing shoes. Maltz laughed, but didn't tell the joke.

SEE ALSO:
mar  		use the big toe (v)
marwI'  		big toe (n)
Hom  		use the second toe (v)
HomwI'		second toe  (v)
nan  		use the fourth toe (v)
nanwI'  		fourth toe (n)
Qay'  		use the little toe (v)
Qay'wI' 		little toe (n)

(HQ 10.2:10):  A foot has {vagh yaDDu'} "five toes", and each toe has two words, a noun and a verb, associated with it. Klingon toes have more dexterity than human toes, though not as much as Klingon or human fingers. To a degree surprising to humans, Klingons can control each toe independently … The verbs are used in the same way the finger verbs are used, though, except for when talking about martial arts movements and certain positions in Klingon classical ballet (never performed with shoes or boots), the verbs are not heard very often and are, in fact, considered archaic.

--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons