De’vID, thanks for the DeCandido citation. 

Using the name of a weapon to refer to a person is not unknown, although the only ones in English I can think of right now are “gunsel” (a criminal carrying a gun) and “hired gun” (a hit man or, more broadly, anyone hired for a specific and often ethically dubious job). 

Speaking of which, the Soviet Cheka (forerunner of the NKVD/MGB/KGB/FSB, etc.) was called in Russian Меч и щит революции (“The Sword and Shield of the Revolution”).  See https://litci.org/en/the-cheka-sword-and-shield-of-the-revolution/ and also https://alphahistory.com/russianrevolution/cheka/ which has a picture of a Cheka badge featuring the sword.

Can you and Lieven think of examples in German?

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Voragh

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From: tlhIngan-Hol <tlhingan-hol-bounces@lists.kli.org> On Behalf Of De'vID

On Wed, 14 Apr 2021 at 17:17, Steven Boozer <sboozer@uchicago.edu> wrote:

AFAIK Okrand has never provided an official spelling, but see {ghIntaq} “battle spear” which may well be a metaphor for the person.

In the glossary to K.R.A. DeCandido's "A Burning House", on p.393, it says:

"{ghIntaq}. A type of spear with a wooden haft and a curved, two-bladed metal point. Also the name given to a person who serves as a close and trusted adviser to a House. It is possible that the latter usage evolved from the first, with the adviser being analogized to a House head's trusted weapon. Sometimes Anglicized as gin'tak. [Spear first seen in "Birthright Part 2" (TNG); adviser first referenced in "Firstborn" (TNG).]"

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De'vID