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

[Steven Boozer]

> Klingon Word of the Day for Tuesday, May 10, 2016
> 
> Klingon word: Do'
> Part of speech: verb
> Definition: be fortunate, be lucky

  maDo'Ha' 
  We are (always) unlucky. TKD

  maDo'be' 
  We are not lucky. TKD

  maDo'choH 
  We are becoming lucky. We are undergoing a turn of luck. TKD

  bach Do', qaH 
  A lucky shot sir... ST3

  maDo'chugh QeHchoH wa' 
  If we're lucky, one will get angry. CK

(TKW 148):  The commonly heard sendoff "Curse well!" ["pe'vIl mu'qaDmey tIbach"]--roughly comparable in usage to the Federation Standard "Good luck!"--literally means, "Shoot curses forcefully!" 

Cp. {ghewmey SuqQo'} "Don't catch any bugs!" which is smuggler's code for "Good luck in avoiding border officials!" (ST6 novel)


Do'Ha'  		be unfortunate, be unlucky (v)

  maDo'Ha' 
  We are (always) unlucky. TKD

  De' lI' Sovlu'DI' chaq Do'Ha' 
  Knowledge of useful information may be unfortunate. PK

  Do'Ha' 
  Unfortunate. ST3

  va, Do'Ha' yorIq 
  Alas, poor Yorick! (TKH)

  DaDo'Ha'moHlu' 
  You've been made unlucky. 
  Someone/something causes you to be unlucky. KGT 

(KGT 167):  [{'Igh} "be cursed, jinxed"] is a slang term with no known origin. It can be applied to just about anything--persons, missions, ships, and so on--when everything seems to be going wrong. Since Klingons consider self-control a great virtue, declaring oneself to be cursed is comparable to an admission of weakness and utterly uncharacteristic (though not unknown). To say that someone else is cursed, on the other hand, is to attribute weakness to that person. Accordingly, {bI'Igh} ("You are cursed, you are jinxed") is quite insulting. In standard Klingon, the same idea may be expressed by saying {Do'Ha'moHlu'} ("be made unlucky" or "someone/something causes [someone/something] to be unlucky"), as in {DaDo'Ha'moHlu'} ("You've been made unlucky", or "someone/something causes you to be unlucky").

(KGT 155):  Often, the word is used with no overt subject, as if an exclamation: {natlh} ("It is objectionable," or "That is shameful"; literally, "It consumes"). Nonslang counterparts, none of which carries the impact of {natlh}, might be {quv Hutlh} (lack honor), {qab} (be bad), or {Do'Ha'} (be unfortunate). The word {'up} (disgusting, repugnant) may also be used, most commonly in reference to food or drink. See also {SaS} (literally, "be horizontal"), another slang term used to voice disapproval.

(KGT 164f.):  {SaS} is also used as an exclamation to express disapproval, comparable to the standard {Do'Ha'} (unfortunate). For example, upon hearing that a ship has been destroyed, one may say simply {SaS} (literally, "horizontal" but suggesting "That's bad, that's unfortunate").


Do'  			luckily, with luck (adv)

(KLS st.k 9/01/97):  As for how to use {Sum} "be near, nearby" -- that will require some more time with Maltz. {Do' Sum matlh.} 

Do'Ha'  		unfortunately (adv) 

  Do'Ha' QIp qabpaqwIj. 
  ([untr.] MO to Andre on FaceBook, 2/11/2014)

(HQ 4.4):  Whether this {-Ha'} can be added to all adverbials is not clear. The notes taken while working with Maltz indicate that he balked at *{vajHa'} (not thus?) but accepted {Do'Ha'} "unfortunately".


SEE ALSO:
San 			fate (n)

"Today we conquer. If some day we are defeated, well, war has its fortunes good and bad." (Kor, TOS "Errand of Mercy")


--
Voragh
tlhIngan ghantoH pIn'a'
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons