Drinking and Celebrating, The Klingon Way, Part 1

This post begins a short series of posts associated with drinking and the consumption of Klingon beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Some of these drinks have associated rituals and customs, such as the Klingon Tea Ceremony and the art of toasting. These will be looked at in coming posts.

Klingons are as passionate about drinking as they are about fighting, feasting and other activities. Drinking and celebrating as as much part of a Klingon warrior's duties as the Rites of Ascension; for Klingons, aware of the brevity and fragility of life and aware of how it can be snuffed out in a battle at any moment, strive to celebrate their lives with passion: nI'be' yInmaj 'ach wovqu' Our lives are brief but very bright, as the traditional Klingon anthem goes.

Typical activities associated with drinking include the singing of traditional songs:-


"I shall now sing for you the song of my people"
... cursing:-


"You must have Klingon blood in you."
"Must have been something I ate."
... getting drunk and doing regrettable things you never remember in the morning:-


Bloodwine. Not even once.
... getting into fights and losing:-


Never get into a fight with an android who's drunker than you are.
Or indeed any android whatsoever.


You just want this punch on infinite loop, don't you?
... and sex:-


Typical man, boasting about his meter and scansion.
Klingons love to drink, as much as they love to fight. They drink a great variety of drinks - a considerable variety of alcoholic beverages, some fruit juices, a variety of teas and different kinds of coffees.

Verbs

The following are verbs associated with drinking and intoxication.

'oj	thirsty, be thirsty
tlhutlh	drink, imbibe
chech	drunk, be drunk
ghup	swallow
ngaS	contain, have inside
teb	fill
tebHa'	empty
qang	pour (e.g. into a glass)
HaH'egh	soak oneself (slang)
HaH	soak, drench, marinate
pub	boil
Qev	stew
rogh	ferment
roghmoH	cause to ferment
vut	prepare beverage
wech	serve fermented beverage at its feet
'ey	delicious, be delicious
'uH	hung over, be hung over, have a hangover

Utensils

bal	jug, jar, bottle
bIQ bal	water jug
HIq bal	liquor bottle
Dargh HIvje'	teacup
HIvje'	glass, tumbler, mug, cup, shot glass, stein, tankard
HIvje' bom	drinking song
qegh	vat, keg, barrel
tach	pub, saloon, bar
chom	bartender
tu'lum	teacup (upper crust Klingon argot)

Beverages

chechtlhutlh	chech'tlutlh liquor
Dargh	tea
Dargh wIb	sour tea
HIq	alcohol, ale, beer, liquor, spirits
qa'vIn	Klingon-style coffee
ra'taj	coffee with added liquor
Soj	general term for food AND drink
vIychorgh	juice, sap of a plant
'awje'	root beer
'Iw	blood

This is the basic list of liquid beverages and typical implements associated with drinking. We'll look at Klingon alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in coming posts, along with the fine art of Klingon toasting.