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

[Steven Boozer]

Klingon word: 	bI'
Part of speech: 	verb
Definition: 	sweep (away)
Source: 	KGT
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pe'vIl bI'chu' 
forcefully sweep away (idiom)  (KGT)

romuluSnganpu' Dujmey DIQaw'pu'; pe'vIl DIbI'chu'pu'
We destroyed the Romulans' ships all at once.  (KGT)
("We've destroyed the Romulans' ships; we've forcefully swept them away.")

(KGT 112):  The verb {bI'} (sweep) refers to the action of pushing something out of the way by using an implement or the forearm as if it were a broom. If whatever is pushed is cleared away completely, one is said to {bI'chu'} (sweep [something] away; literally, "sweep perfectly"). In the Mekro'vak region, for example, a common courtship ritual requires the male to use the leg of a *lingta* to forcefully (pe'vIl) sweep away (bI'chu') whatever is on the dinner table before declaring his feelings to the female. In addition to its literal interpretation, the phrase has come to mean "do something all at once, as a single event." It is used in such constructions as {romuluSnganpu' Dujmey DIQaw'pu'; pe'vIl DIbI'chu'pu'} ("We destroyed the Romulans' ships all at once"; thus, literally, "We've destroyed the Romulans' ships; we've forcefully swept them away"). 

Note the similarity to the adverbial {SIbI'} "immediately".

Do we have a word for "broom" from the various qepmey?  I couldn't find one and *{bI'wI'} could mean both broom [devise] and sweeper [person].

--
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.