[Tlhingan-hol] Klingon Word of the Day: ghargh

[Steven Boozer]

Okrand does translate {qagh} as "serpent worms" or *gagh* in KGT, but he also states in HolQeD 10.4 that:
 
  [The {vem'eq} is] a bird that feeds almost exclusively on 
  the serpent worm from which {qagh} is made (Klingons are not
  particularly fond of the {vem'eq}

Also, {raHta'} *racht* is apparently a larger variety of edible serpent worm according to _The Federation Travel Guide_ by Michael Jan Friedman (1997), to which Okrand contributed.

As we know, {qagh} refers to the final dish prepared from the unnamed type of "serpent worm from which {qagh} is made".  According to Memory Alpha (http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Gagh):

  There were at least 51 different types of gagh, each with its
  distinct taste and texture, including:
    *Bithool* gagh, which had feet
    *Filden* gagh, which squirmed
    *Meshta* gagh, which jumped
    *Torgud* gagh, which wiggled
    *Wistan* gagh, which was packed in targ blood
  Curzon Dax and Jadzia Jax enjoyed the various varieties, although
  Ezri Dax did not.  (DS9 "Prodigal Daughter)

Does this refer to 51 different types of edible worms?  Or 51 different ways of preparing the same type of serpent worm?  E.g.

KGT 86f.:  Prior to the preparation of this dish, the worms are fed only {'Iw puj} (diluted blood; literally, "weak blood"), which the worms find unappetizing and therefore consume only when they are nearly starving. (The type of animal from which the blood has been taken has a great deal of influence on the eventual flavor of the {qagh}, and individual cooks, as well as individual eaters, have their own preferences.)



--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Philip Newton [mailto:philip.newton at gmail.com]
> 
> ghunchu'wI' 'utlh <qunchuy at alcaco.net>
>> > Klingon Word of the Day for Tuesday, December 06, 2011
>> >
>> > Klingon word: ghargh
>> > Part of speech: noun
>> > Definition: serpent worm
>>
>> I don't have my copy of TKD handy to verify against, but I'm certain
>> its lexicon says "serpent, worm". It isn't a variety of worm; it's two
>> different English words that can both serve as a translation for the
>> Klingon.
>>
>> On the other hand, {qagh} is "serpent worms (as food)".
> 
> Indeed. And the distinction caused me to botch a question on a recent
> KLCP test. (Since I had understood the words such that {qagh} refers
> to a particular dish, rather than to serpent worm used as food, which
> can make up the dish, and so I had wrongly used {ghargh}.)
> 
> Cheers,
> Philip