[tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: tlhutlh

[Steven Boozer]

Klingon Word of the Day for Sunday, May 08, 2022

Klingon word: tlhutlh
Part of speech: verb
Definition: drink
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(KGT 206):  For example, in both Klingon and Federation Standard, there is a verb for consume solid food (eat, {Sop}) and another for consume liquid (drink, {tlhutlh}). In Klingon, but not in Federation Standard, there is a third verb in this set, {'ep}, which refers to consuming soup or, more accurately, to consuming Klingon {chatlh}, which contains less liquid than the typical Terran soup. (It should be noted that although the Federation Standard verb slurp may well apply to how a Klingon consumes {chatlh}, it is not an accurate translation of {'ep}, since it refers to eating and drinking noisily, not to the consumption of soup in particular.)

(KGT 99f):  If the particular dish is somewhat soupy (a dish of this kind is termed a {chatlh}, roughly translated as soup, though the amount of liquid is far less than what the Federation Standard term soup would suggest) ... Since this sort of dish is still primarily solid food as opposed to liquid, using the verb {tlhutlh} (drink) to describe ingesting it is not quite right. There is another verb, {'ep}, which refers to eating food of this kind.

(KGT 95):  … the very strong {chechtlhutlh} (*chech'tluth*). (The fact that {chechtlhutlh} seems to be made up of two verbs related to drinking - {chech} [be drunk] and {tlhutlh} [drink] - is no doubt coincidental.

(KGT 129-30):  The association of thirst with singing is probably due to the custom of accompanying drinking with singing and the usual practice of continuing both of these activities for a great length of time.

(Lieven 12/12/2013):  [Maltz] said he has been asked before about "Merry Christmas" and "Happy New Year".  He thought they were silly things to say (and, of course, there are no traditional Klingon ways to say these things) … He also liked my sister-in-law's suggestion: {wornagh yItlhutlh!}.

" 'Drink not with thine enemy!'  The rigid Klingon code." (Q to Worf, TNG "Hide and Q")

"Vulcans do not drink [alchohol].” (Soval, ENT “Cease Fire”)

SEE ALSO:
'oj 		be thirsty (v)
chech		be drunk (v)
'uH 		have a hangover, be hungover (v)
rem 		suck (e.g. through straw) (v)