What does 'hemQuch' mean?

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I know the concept of the HemQuch refers to Klingons as they should be - the ridged appearance that a pure Klingon would have. As opposed to the QuchHa', the human looking Klingons. But what does the word literally translate as?

I know QuchHa' means "the unhappy ones" (cf. Summon the Thunder) but I don't understand Klingon so I don't know *how* they arrived at that translation. (i.e. does 'Quch' mean 'unhappy' or 'ones'?)

 

[KRAD]

^ Not sure offhand, but if I see Lawrence Schoen at Lunacon tomorrow, I'll ask him.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I seem to remember that the suffix "Ha'" is a negation of whatever came before it. (If I'm wrong about this, feel free to correct me, anyone...anyone...) So maybe "Quch" means "happy". Now if I only knew what "Hem" meant.

 

[William Leisner]

Okay, here are the definitions from The Klingon Dictionary:

Hem = be proud (v)
Quch = be happy (v)
Quch = forehead (n)
QuchHa' = be unhappy (v)

So, I guess HemQuch means "those who are proud and happy about their foreheads."

 

[Dayton Ward]

This is what Lawrence Schoen provided to me when I went to him looking for a Klingon term to describe the smoothies:

"Currently, the main term for "forehead" in Klingon is the noun "Quch." This word also occurs a homophonous verb: "Quch," meaning "be happy."

Since you're looking for a derisive term, and since the Klingon language tends to use verbs to express most things (where we use nouns), I'd suggest going with the verb "QuchHa'," meaning "be unhappy."

This could denote the unfortunate status of the ridgeless Klingons, while at the same time being a bit of wordplay that your more discerning fans might appreciate."

According to the The Klingon Dictionary, "Hem" means "be proud," but don't ask me how that works in concert with "Quch."

ETA: What Bill said.

 

[Lonemagpie]

According to the The Klingon Dictionary, "Hem" means "be proud," but don't ask me how that works in concert with "Quch."

ETA: What Bill said.

The proud forehead - I guess a proper ridged Klingon is proud of his ridges, which is understandable seeing as the ridges go in family traits