[tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: Huj

[Steven Boozer]

Klingon Word of the Day for Thursday, November 17, 2022

Klingon word: 	Huj
Part of speech: 	verb
Definition: 	be strange, unfamiliar
Source: 	TKD, qepHom 2017
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Daq SumHa'vo' wab Huj Qoylu' 
Strange sounds come from afar (PB, paq'raD 1:13)

(Lieven, qepHom 2017, 11/20/2017):  {Huj} is strange as in unfamiliar.  {jum} is odd as in peculiar, unexpected, fishy.  {taQ} is weird as in bizarre, unnatural, maybe creepy.

IDIOMATIC NOTE:
(KGT 126-27):  Klingons have 23 ribs (joQDu'). The idiom {cha'maH cha' joQDu'} (twenty-two ribs), leaving one rib out, is used to indicate that something is missing or not quite right, especially when it is difficult or impossible to explain the problem. It can be used in varied circumstances. For example, referring to a situation, one might say {naDev cha'maH cha' joQDu' tu'lu'} ("There are twenty-two ribs here") -- that is, there is something out of the ordinary going on, even if no one can say exactly what. Referring to a person, one could say {cha'maH cha' joQDu' ghaj qama'} ("The prisoner has twenty-two ribs"), suggesting that the prisoner is somehow a bit strange. If any other number is used, such as cha'maH wa' joQDu' (twenty-one ribs), the phrase is always interpreted literally -- that is, as a statement about anatomy. If, by chance, a Klingon really does have only 22 ribs, owing to a prior injury, for example, reference to this fact is usually phrased in a way to avoid saying {cha'maH cha' joQDu'} (twenty-two ribs) and having to deal with the snickers. A common alternative is {wa' joQ Hutlh ghaH} ("He/she lacks one rib").

N.B. do not confuse with the verb {Huj} "charge (up)"  (i.e. electrical/power?)

SEE ALSO:
nov 		be foreign, alien (v)
le' 		be special, exceptional (v)
motlhbe' 	be unusual (v)

--
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.