[tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: qoH
Steven Boozer
sboozer at uchicago.edu
Wed Nov 24 07:34:25 PST 2021
Klingon Word of the Day for Wednesday, November 24, 2021
Klingon word: qoH
Part of speech: noun
Definition: fool
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Hagh qoHpu' neH HeghtaHvIS SuvwI'pu'
Only fools laugh while warriors die. PK
not qoHpu''e' neH ghIjlu'
Only fools have no fear. TKW
meQtaHbogh qachDaq Suv qoH neH
Only a fool fights in a burning house. TKW
HIvbe' qoHpu' neH
Only fools don't attack. TKW
Hegh neH chav qoH
A fool's only achievement is death. TKW
qanchoHpa' qoH, Hegh qoH
Fools die young. TKW
qoH vuvbe' SuS
The wind does not respect a fool. KGT
(KGT 122): The idiomatic expression {ghaH vuv SuS neH} ("he/she wants the wind to respect him/her") comes from the same story; it is used to mean "He/she is foolish" or "He/she is a fool". For example, one might answer the question {qatlh betleHDaj tlhapbe'?} ("Why doesn't he take his bat'leth?") by saying {ghaH vuv SuS neH} ("He wants the wind to respect him"--that is, "He's a fool." The expression can be modified to apply to different persons or situations: {muvuvpu' SuS vIneH} ("I wanted the wind to respect me"--in other words, "I acted like a fool"); {bImaw''a'? Duvuv SuS DaneH'a'?} ("Are you crazy? Do you want the wind to respect you?"--that is, "What's with you? Are you an idiot?").
(qepHom 2019 booklet p.18): Unless one is playing word games, the verb {qID} doesn’t take an object. It’s normally used along with {jatlh} "say" as in:
qID. jatlh: qoH SoH.
(He/she jokes. He/she says: “You are a fool.”)
or the other way around:
jatlh: qoH SoH. qID.
("You are a fool." He/she is joking.)
Both of these could be translated something like: "He/She jokes that you are a fool.”
TREK TRIVIA:
"Obviously you do not know the difference between courage and foolhardiness." (Kor, TOS "Errand of Mercy")
"{qoH!}" I was not happy. "You did not engage the cloaking device fast enough. They have detected us." (Gowron, KCD novelization p.101)
"She's not dwelling in the past, like this {qoH}." (SAREK [novel])
SEE ALSO:
Dogh be foolish, silly (v)
tlhaQ be funny (v)
jIv be ignorant (v)
QIp be stupid (v)
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt." (Mark Twain)
--
Voragh, Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
Please contribute relevant vocabulary or notes from the last
year or two. I’ve fallen woefully behind in updating my files.
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