The first insult, {Ha'DIbaH} - "Animal", was heard in ST3. The first edition of The Klingon Dictionary contained this word, but didn't hint it had insulting strength. There were only two ways to insult that the book provided the student of Klingon with. The first was to use for a sentient being a plural or possessive suffix that was proper only for nonsentient things, the second was to use a bland word such as "fool" or "coward", or to construct a full sentence like "Your face resembles a Denebian slime devil".

In 1992, an addendum was added into the new edition of TKD. It contains a number of new words, mainly morphologically corrected versions of those invented by the scriptwrights during the first TNG seasons, as well as some new grammar. It also contains five epithets apparently imported from onscreen, but not what they mean. The language tape Conversational Klingon gives some hints, but Marc Okrand refuses to assign specific meanings to those insulting words. Instead he says that if we spend some time with Klingons, we'll hear them often enough for the context to make their meaning quite clear.

In the issue 3:1 of HolQeD, the quaterly journal of The Klingon Language Institute, there is an article by Mark Shoulson which among other things assigns meanings to the five words. The article is intended to create some consistency in the usage of these words among speakers of Klingon and be the first step in developing the Klingon cursing into the fine form it should be. However, as Mr. Shoulson himself too admits, the article has NO official weight behind it - the language and the right to modify it belongs to Marc Okrand only.

This thesis is intended to continue the same aim by following Okrand's advice of listening to the Klingons themselves. No Klingons living next door, I decided to find out how the insults have been used on screen. This is the result. New discovered entries are always appreciated.

A word about the format of the list. First in boldface is the insult. Following in square brackets is a rough pronunciation guide. I may add links to sound files someday. Following this title is a disection of the word, but don't expect the components to have anything to do with the meaning of the term itself - these things are complicated. Did you know that the common emphasizer "bloody" in some dialects of English has nothing to do with blood? In fact it's an abbreviation of "By our lady" - well, it wasn't evident for me. Below the disection is a hint from Okrand if one exists, followed by the non-autorative definition from the HolQeD artice. Then there is a list of all occasions that I know of when an insult sounding like the one in question has been used on screen, with a brief description of the situation. If there is a word after the episode title, it's what I know or suspect there to be in the script in place of the proper insult.

petaQ [pe-TAKKH]

pe-  command to you(plural)(prefix)
taQ  be weird(v)
=> As a sentence, literally "be weird, you all!"

The unofficial definition:

Useless. Garbage. Non-functional. Generally unable to get anything done right. This is a devastating insult to someone who has just made a muddle of something. I can also see it used for inanimate objects, like when your computer gives out on you, but that's stretching it.

TNG:The Defector; "pathk"

Romulan admiral Alidar Jarok sees Worf and says to Riker "Get this Klingon petaQ out of my sight"

TNG:Sins Of The Father; "patahk"

TNG:Reunion; "pahtak"

Duras, the other of the two to compete for the title of Chancellor of High Council, is communicating with Picard, who has been chosen as Arbeiter of Succession, about the Sonchi-ceremony. While at this, he sees Worf, at the time discommendated, enter the bridge. "Keep that petaQ away from the ceremony, Picard! He has no place on a Klingon ship."

TNG:The Drumhead

J'Ddan, a Klingon who has been working on the Enterprise, is suspected of involvement in a security breach and sabotaging the warp drive. As discommendated Worf escorts him to his quaters where he is confined, he tries to bribe Mr. Worf to help him steal a shuttle and escape in exchange for helping Worf to regain his honor. Worf is silent, but when they reach their destination, he hits the man several times and snarls at him "I don't know how you transferred secret information to the Romulans, but I will find out!" The man spits out "petaQ". Worf continues "And when we inform the High Council, they will put you to a slow death!"

TNG:Redemption 2; "baktag"

The day's battles over, partisans of both Duras and Gowron have gathered in a bar for drinking, boxing, headbutting and armwrestling, generally joymaking. Worf's brother Kurn exchanges a few punches with another Klingon, then laughs and sits with him at a table. When Worf enters, he introduces the other Klingon to him: "Worf, good! This piece of petaQ is captain Larg. He commanded the squadron that tried to destroy us yesterday."

TNG:Aquiel; "P'tak"

Worf says there's evidence of a Klingon having been abroad a Federation outpost, where messages have been stolen. Klingon governor Torak isn't pleased: "You still try to blame us!" "Have the courage to admit your mistakes - or are you a lo'Be Vos?(*" "At least I don't wear the uniform of a petaQ!"
*) see below for unknown entries

TNG:The Chase; "pah-tak"

Is it in the episode or is it in the floor of Paramount's cutting room? It's in the script but I've yet to hear it.

TNG:Rightful Heir; "pahtk"

Kahless, the Klingon messiah, has apparently returned from the dead. Gowron, Head of High Council, is not a believer. As he is transported to Enterprise, Picard is there to welcome him. "Welcome aboard, Gowron." "Where is he, Picard?" "I assume that you're referring to Kahless." "I am referring to the filthy petaQ who's using his name!"

TNG:First Born; "P'tak"

DS9:House of Quark; "pahtak"

Quark has been kidnapped by the widow of Kozak, a Klingon who tripped on his blade at Quark's bar and whom Quark has, in order to enchance business, told everybody of having killed in self-defense. He awakens in a Klingon quaters, in the presence of an elderly Klingon. "Where am I?" "You are on Kronos." "Kronos .. the Klingon Home World." "You are in the ancestral home of what used to be known as the House of Kozak." "What's it called now?" "Kozak died without a male heir..the house no longer has a name." "What about Kozak's brother, D'Ghor?" "That petaQ's name is not spoken in this house! He is no brother to Kojak! His family has been a sworn enemy to this house for seven generations!"

DS9:Visionary

Three Klingons come down laughing from Quark's holosuites and notice some Romulans sitting around the table. They surround the table and one speaks: "Who let these filthy petaQ in here?" Another replies "Maybe we should show them the way out". The Romulans get up and a fight starts.

VGR:Faces; "petaQ"

The "Klingon" B'Elanna rescues the "Human" B'Elanna from an unpleasant situation and tells her to "Get up, petaQ" when she regains consciousness.

My interpretation is that this refers to a weak individual who doesn't carry the Warrior Spirit within. Someone acting non-Klingon. The unofficial definition seems to fit well, but not just quite so.

toDSaH [tod-SAKH]

toD  save, rescue(v)
SaH  care about, be concerned about, be present(not absent)(v)

Okrand tells us this could be said to one not in best of terms with.

The unofficial definition:

It implies foppishness, and softness and weakness. There's a certain influence in my head from English "toady" at work here, so I envision some bootlicking implied as well: soft and flabby and spoiled. I could see a Klingon thinking of humans as toDSaH.

TNG:The Defector; "tohzah"

taHqeq [takh-KEK]

taH  go on, bear, endure, be at a negative angle(v)
qeq  practice, train, prepare(v)

Okrand tells us this is a classic insult, stand back if you say it.

The unofficial definition:

It means you're saying the person is dishonest/dishonorable, evil, obnoxious, devious, deceitful, and basically an unpleasant creature to deal with at all. No good qualities. This is really a catch-all for me, since the meanings I've given the other epithets seem too narrow, and there's got to be more to insult people about. Immoral, maybe? Doesn't necessarily fit the Klingon ethos.

TNG:Mind's Eye; "tah-keck"

Vagh, a Klingon governor, whom Picard failed to convince that Federation isn't supplying weapons to the rebels, loses his temper and shouts "You speak the lies of a taHqeq!". Picard responses by shouting all the Klingon swear-words he knows, {Qu'vatlh ghuy'cha' baQa'} (his pronounciation is Bad.) Guess what: Vagh is impressed. "You swear well, Picard. You must have Klingon blood in your veins."

This must a serious thing, probably the strongest insult of all. I suspect it directly insults the honor of the one said to, calling him "one who fails to take responsibility of his actions", "one who can't be trusted", "one who has no honor". A taHqeq tells lies, that's evident; Kahless fought his own brother for twelve days and nights for telling a lie. As Okrand says: If you call someone this, stand back!. I kinda like the unofficial definition.

yIntagh [yin-TAGH]

yIn     life
tagh    lung
yIntagh life-support system

The unofficial definition:

Stupid. Dumb as rocks. This is a direct attack at the intelligence of the victim. May have overtones of petaQ and toDSaH as well: soft, spoiled, and utterly useless, with stupidity as the overriding factor.

TNG:Redemption 1; "yIntagh"

Gowron is about to be installed as the head of High Council, but in the last moment a challenger appears. Toral, very young, claiming to be the son of Duras, followed by Lursa and B'Etor. Gowron is not pleased. "This is outrageous! Duras had no mate - where did you find him, Lursa? In a harlot's bed chamber?" Toral steps forward : "I will personally cut your tongue out, yIntagh!"

Here I'll have to disagree with the unofficial definition. Intelligence is definately not of the issue in the struggle. Then again, there is only one example, and that doesn't tell much.

Qovpatlh [kkhov-PATL]

Qov    <still unknown>
patlh  rank(military, governmental)(n)

The unofficial definition:

Insignificant. Beneath notice. Useless due to worthlessness. "Oh, don't worry about the Qovpatlh of a captain on the enemy ship, he's not worth considering."

There are no examples and no hints, so I'll accept the unofficial definition - for now.

Ha'DIbaH [KHA-di-bakh]

Ha'DIbaH animal, animal meat

ST3

Kruge, whose gunner destroyed the target (failing to merely disable it), called him an animal before blasting him.

TNG:Sins of the Father; "Ha'DI'bah"

Worf has been accused of his father having aided the Romulans to accomplish the Khitomer massacre. When K'mpec reveals to him that the traitor in fact was Duras' father, Ja'rod, he points at Duras and shouts "This Ha'DIbaH should have been fed to the dogs!"

TNG:Reunion; "Ha'DIbah"

Duras and Gowron are both anxious to get to fight each other for the leadership of the High Council, but before that can be done, Picard must, as the Arbeiter of Succession, formally name them as candidates. As Picard enters, Duras says: "The Council must have a leader now! Complete the rite so I can kill this Ha'DIbaH!" (referring to Gowron)

DS9:Blood Oath: "Ha'DIbaH"

Jadzia is persuading Kor, an elderly Klingon, to convince two other old Klingons to take her with them to a trip of vengeance. Kor says he can't convince Kang, if he has made his mind. Jadzia says he can. Kor takes into self-pity saying his best days are behind him. Jadzia comforts him and says that in her memories he is a great warrior, and leaves. Apparently she hit a tender spot. Kor, emotionally touched, looks almost as in tears and yells after her, but not quite loud enough for her to hear, "you devious little Ha'DIbaH".

This is not one of the five listed epithets, but has often been used as one. It is listed in the section of useful phrases. Perhaps it indeed has something to do with animal qualities.

TNG:Aquiel; "lo'Be' Vos"

(see petaQ above for when this was used)
Well, the Klingon spelling could be {lo'be' voS}. In that case, it would be a sentence meaning "A ..voS.. doesn't use.". However, it is my personal guess that this is a scriptwriter's combination of the words use-female-chin {lo'-be'-woS}, a pitiful attempt towards "One who uses a female chin" {be'woS lo'wI'}. After all, it was courage Worf was talking about and in The Quality of Life he told that to a Klingon a beard is a symbol of courage. Well, regardless of possession of courage, Klingon women don't have beards. I can't recall a clean-shaven Klingon male.

TNG:The Chase; "Toh-pah"

This was used twice in [TNG:The Chase]. The cardassians fire on the Enterprise and Maht-H'a to disable them and thus gain an adventage on the chase. Nu'Daq, aboard the Enterprise, hails Maht-H'a: "Maht-H'a, status?" "Minor damage to starboard nacelle. We will be operational in less than one hour." "WHAT! You incompetent Toh-pah! You were supposed to be prepared!". Later, at the planet where the puzzle is finally solved, the cardassian Gul who tried to deceive both the Klingons and Federation, materializes. Nu'Daq shouts "You dishonorable Toh-pah!".

TNG:First Born; "ko'tal"

DS9:Blood Oath; "k'pekt"

Kor, an old drunk Klingon, has been participating in a historical battle in Quark's holosuite for three hours but paid only for one. Quark has alerted Odo, who tells him to shut down the power. He does. The Klingon inside is not pleased; after breaking his way out and screaming a senseless threatening roar, he seen Quark behind Odo. "You dare interrupt the battle of Klach D'kel Brakt!? You Ferengi k'pekt!"

DS9:Blood Oath; "t'ooho'mIrah"

This is not necessarily an insult. Both Kor and Koloth are convinced Jadzia should come with them in their vengeance, but Kang remains adamant. Kor asks him "Why do you dismiss her like some useless t'ooho'mIraH?"

This is the only one of these we have a proper spelling for. It's "tu'HomIraH", as used in the CD-ROM "Star Trek : Klingon". The sentence was "HurDaq tu'HomIraHvetlh yIlan!", freely translated as "Get that piece of junk out of here!"

DS9:House of Quark; "mak'dar"

There's a drunken Klingon in Quark's bar, nearly passed out. Out of money but wanting credit. Quark goes to show him off. He bangs the tamble several times with a mug to awaken the man, then boldly says "My name is Quark". The Klingon awakens, grins and growls. Quark doesn't feel so bold anymore, and makes up an excuse. The drunkard stands up saying "You dare to talk to me like that? You pathetic mak'dar!", draws a knife and attacks.

A.C. Crispin: Sarek; "veQ-nuj"

This is from a novel. As such, it wouldn't be on this list unless the author had thanked Marc Okrand for inventing the Klingon words and phrases when they were needed. The sentence used was "I had to let those veQ-nuj handle me. I'm sorry now I just didn't kill them." Well, {veQ} is garbage, and {nuj} is mouth. Thus, {veQnuj} is literally {garbage-mouth}.

How to use the insults?

Or, you could append a proper pronoun to indicate who you are talking about. qoH SoH You are a fool, qoH ghaH, he/she is a fool and so on.

Notice that the pronunciation guidelines given in square brackets are very rough. For correct pronunciation I suggest you buy the language tape Conversational Klingon, or check what the KLI homepage has to offer for you.

Is insulting always that simple?

Will Terran insults work on Klingons?

What about other Klingon languages?