That's what I'd always thought too, especially as I had never heard of the show "QI". However, the novel/movie makes for a more memorable mnemonic. <{mon}> Voragh -----------------------------------Original Message----------------------------------- From: Lieven L. Litaer via tlhIngan-Hol Sent: Friday, May 1, 2026 3:27 AM That is interesting. For so many years, I had been thinking this was a pun based on the movie "The Bridge on the River Kwai". Having this new information, the pun on the show "QI" is a lot more likely now. Am 30.04.2026 um 04:17 schrieb Christopher Kidder-Mostrom via tlhIngan-Hol:
We did. Marc has said directly that his response to "The is no word for bridge" was ... "There is now".
On Wed, Apr 29, 2026 at 6:51 PM janSIy . via tlhIngan-Hol <tlhingan- hol@lists.kli.org <mailto:tlhingan-hol@lists.kli.org>> wrote:
It occurs to me I've never seen this proposed "coincidence", but I recently ran across this video again. It's a British show called QI and this show originally aired in 2009.
Do you suppose we got the word QI in response to this episode?
BTW, I'm replying to a message from long ago, so don't look for a recent message about this.
janSIy
------------------------------------------------------------------------ *From:* Steven Boozer <sboozer@uchicago.edu <mailto:sboozer@uchicago.edu>> *Sent:* Friday, August 7, 2015 9:17:39 AM > > Klingon word: QI > Part of speech: noun > Definition: bridge (over a river)
Qov < MO (8/2012): "The word for bridge (as in over a river) is {QI} (one of those weird vowel-final words). Maltz said that would apply to the kind of rope bridge you described (as well as more substantial bridges).
QeS (7/29/2013): ... while we were travelling to Fort Mifflin, the topic of the new word {QI} "bridge" came up in conversation in Lawrence's car, and I took the opportunity to ask Marc an associated question. Since we lack a verb for to go across in the sense of crossing a river, I've wondered for a while now as to whether {vegh} "go through" might be appropriate. When I asked Marc this, he explained that in order to sensibly talk about {vegh}-ing a bridge, the bridge would have to be covered over - that is, some form of {'och}. So basically, it seems that to {vegh} an object, the object must completely encircle the vector of travel. (Marc did also add that it need not be pedantically exact: a meshwork or cage-like object can also be {vegh}-ed, so long as the object is still essentially ringlike or tunnel-like.)
HQ 12.2: {qa'rI'} is also used for the end of bounded space which is seen as having length even if it is not enclosed space. Thus, it is used for the end of a road, the end of a bridge, the end of a long field. ... On the other hand, if a bridge is under construction and lies halfway across a river or gorge or freeway, it may be said to have a {megh'an} (or {'er'In}).
N.B. do not confuse with the noun {meH} "bridge (aboard ship)" (or probably "control room" aboard a submarine which technically don't have bridges, at least not in the US Navy).
Pun: Cf. Pierre Boule's novel & classic movie "Bridge Over the River Kwai" (!)
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