[Tlhingan-hol] Klingon Word of the Day: tuy'

[Steven Boozer]

> Klingon Word of the Day for Tuesday, December 04, 2012
> 
> Klingon word:   tuy'
> Part of speech: verb
> Definition:     spit


HQ 12.4 p.8-9:  If one were to {chuy} "sneeze", one would likely eject {'IqnaH} "mucus" (or sometimes {'IgnaH QaD} "dry mucus". If {tlhepQe'} "saliva" is produced, one is said to {tIl} "salivate". If the {tlhepQe'} involuntarily escapes one's lips and dribbles down one's chin, one is said to {bol} "drool". To intentionally eject the {tlhepQe'} from one's mouth is to {tuy'} "spit". Maltz pointed out that a similar verb, {tlhIS} "spit out", is used to refer to spitting out things other than saliva, such as parts of food that are not swallowed or teeth. If what one spits out is basically liquid, such as a mixture of saliva and mucus, {tuy'} would be used; for spitting out a mixture of saliva and something that is basically solid, {tlhIS} would be more appropriate.

KGT 89:  "in the case of the {naHlet yub} (nut shell). Klingons typically gnaw ({choptaH}--literally, "continue biting") on the nut until it cracks open, and then they spit out ({tlhIS}) the pieces of shell (occasionally at a nearby diner, as a gesture of sociability) before chewing and swallowing the rest. Similarly, they will usually gnaw on the hard pit of some fruits ({naHnagh}--literally, "fruit stone") until it can be chewed and swallowed, but it is not considered out of place to treat the pit as a shell and spit out the pieces.

Trek trivia:

When Quark asked Grilka for a divorce, she shouted *N'Gos tlhogh cha* ("This marriage is dissolved"), slapped him to the ground and spat at him. (DS9 "House of Quark")

Data discovered Klingon DNA in the saliva of bite mark on Deanna Troi's cheek; a genetically de-evolved Worf had bitten her when beginning the mating process. (TNG "Genesis")

PUN:
ptui!



--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons