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

[Steven Boozer]

Klingon Word of the Day for Sunday, April 24, 2022

Klingon word: nughI'
Part of speech: verb
Definition: give (someone) a noogie
Source: KGT (221 KE, 261 EK)
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(charghwI' [1997?]):  A "noogie" involves sharp rapping or powerful grinding by the knuckles of the noogie-er on the head (usually above the forehead, but near the front of the head) of the (unfortunate) noogie-ee. When done properly, it's "exhiliratingly painful." 

(SuSvaj, 12/1996):  I happened to be sitting next to Okrand at qep'a' wejDIch when everyone was socializing and horsing around. While someone was giving a noogie to a hapless victim, Krankor jokingly said, "We really should have a word for noogie." So SuSvaj asked Okrand, what the Klingon word for noogie was. He replied, "Well that would be {nughI'}."  Asked if this was borrowed from English, he said that he was fairly certain that the English word had actually been borrowed from tlhIngan Hol! And that is the story of {nughI'}. 

(SuStel, 9/1997):  Okrand coined {nughI'} during qep'a' wejDIch, along with {'I'}. He suggested that some word-borrowing was going on, and I think he said he wasn't sure which culture had borrowed from which.

(ghunchu'wI', 8/2005):  This is one of the very few times we have had the good fortune to pin down the meaning of a word precisely. At qep'a' wejDIch, we literally got the word straight from Marc Okrand's mouth. He verified the pronunciation, spelling, and usage for us.  {qanughI'} is perfectly correct for "I give you a noogie."  {nunughI'} is a valid word. […]  It's obviously a borrowed term. Okrand expressed uncertainty about whether the Klingon word was borrowed from English, or whether it was the other way around.


--
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.