Dwarfish phrases: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 21:54, 29 February 2020

Some of the explanations below are necessarily incomplete, as they relate to things which Dwarfs are not allowed to speak of in front of D'harak.

aargk: say (Thud!)
aork!: say (preemptive form of aargk) (Thud!)
ah Grag nun: My Lord
bad'dhakz: yeast bowl
B'Daan? Kraa! D'Kraga ha'ak!: An expression used by a Dwarf officer in The Fifth Elephant on first seeing Cheery Littlebottom in unambiguously female clothing. Given one meaning of "ha'ak" below, it appears that he is expressing conservative disapproval of her dress sense.
bura'zak-ka: town hall
b'zugda-hiara: Lawn ornament. (A killing insult in Dwarfish; however, it is used in Wyrd Sisters as a term of endearment for Hwel. In Raising Steam it is used as an insult for the Deep-Downers, and as a picture for what certain narrow-minded parochial people would reduce the Dwarf race to, if they were to be allowed. Dwarves can do metaphor and simile, then...)
Dezka-k'nik: king. Literally, "Senior Mine Engineer". (Raising Steam, p. 22, and others)
d'harak: (all peoples who are) not-dwarfs.
D'kraha?: an expression of astonished disbelief (in context in The Fifth Elephant)
draht: a distinguishing tattoo used by Deep-Downers and inadvertently by Samuel Vimes
dhwe: "open" as in "open a book" (Thud!)
D'rkza: not a proper dwarf (Thud!)
drhg'hgin: an adjectival clause used for emphasis - as in, "it is also important to know when not be too drhg'hgin clever by half."
Gd Tak 'Gar: "The Things Tak Wrote" (Thud!)
G'daraka: after buying each other from their parents before their marriage, the couple is in the state of g'daraka: Free, unencumbered, new dwarfs.
G'hruk, t'uk: evening, all. (Lit. "Felicitations to all at the closing of the day")
Ginnungagap: a previously unrecorded phrase first used in Raising Steam. In the context, it may be cognate with Tra'ka! (below).
grag: A loremaster, teacher, a judge, an elder in the community. The nearest thing Dwarfs have to a priest, whose social position is much that of a rabbi in a Jewish community.
G'rakha: an essential rite which must be done with the correct degree of ha'lk
Ga strak ja'ada!: roughly, "your attitude or way of life is wrong!" (Thud!)
Gr'duzk! aaK'zt ezem ke bur'k tze tzim?: Good day! What is all of this that is going on here?
Grr'dukk d'buz-h'drak: Stated by Angua in "Feet of Clay," lit "small delightful mining tool of a feminine nature."
Grz dava'j? K'zakra'j? D'j h'ragna ra'd'j!: "With emphatic certainty you know me. I observe the rites of the dwarf. What/who am I? I am the Brothers united." (Thud!)
Ha'ak!: A most coarse expletive. In context in The Fifth Elephant, a most disapproving and pejorative term used to denote a Dwarf female who has ~~fallen~~ risen from grace (ie, uses makeup, wears a skirt, and brazenly lets her ankles show): a word with the power to incite near-genocidal anger in certain hearers. (Thud!)
Ha'lk: what a Dwarf does to correctly fulfil the obligation of the g'rakha
had'ra: stop (Thud!)
H'ragna: secrets known only to Dwarfs
Hr'grag: the ordinal number Thirty
Jar'akh'haga: the Ideas Taster, or personal advisor to the Low King.
J'ds hasfak 'ds': I bargain with no axe in my hand.
K'ez'rek d'b'duz: "Go Round The Other side of the Mountain" - the Dwarf name for Granny Weatherwax.
Kra'k?: an interrogative. "What is that?" seems to be a good translation, in context. The Fifth Elephant
Kruk: Dwarf mining law.
K'zakra: a rite of passage all Dwarfs must undergo. There is a massive Records Chamber underneath the Schmaltzberg in which the records of every Dwarf on the Disc's progress through k'zakra are filed and kept up to date. This suggests k'zakra is a lifelong journey for the Dwarf.
P'akga 'a'p'akaga-ad...: It is the thing, and the whole of the thing.
Shatta: An unexpected treasure.
Sh'rt'azs: Cheery's true name, expressed in Dwarfish. It is, apparently, a literal translation.
Ta'grdzk!?: an emphatic interrogative used by a Dwarf officer with a battalion of axes behind him to back up his point. Untranslated in The Fifth Elephant, in context it appears to convey impatience and an inability to accept idiots gladly.
T'dr'duzk b'hazg t't!: "Today is a good day for someone else to die!" A battle cry, and apparently the worst or one of the worst it is possible to utter in Dwarfish, as (according to Carrot, at least) once it is said someone has to die.
tra'ka: a minimal, unworthy, beneath-notice, thing (Thud!)
zadkrdga: "one who smelts". One who finds the pure ore of truth in the dross of confusion. A kind of special investigator. (Thud!)

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Some of the explanations below are necessarily incomplete, as they relate to things which Dwarfs are not allowed to speak of in front of ''D'harak''.
+Some of the explanations below are necessarily incomplete, as they relate to things which [[Dwarf|Dwarfs]] are not allowed to speak of in front of ''D'harak''.
-''bad'dhakz'' - yeast bowl.
+; ''aargk'' : say ({{T!}})
+; ''aork!'' : say (preemptive form of ''aargk'') ({{T!}})
-''B'Daan? Kraa! D'Kraga ha'ak!'' -   An expression used by a Dwarf officer in {{T5E}} on first seeing [[Cheery Littlebottom]] in unambiguously female clothing. Given one meaning of "ha'ak" below, it appears that he is expressing conservative disapproval of her dress sense.
+; ''ah Grag nun'' : My Lord
+; ''bad'dhakz'' : yeast bowl
-''bura'zak-ka'' - town hall.
+; ''B'Daan? Kraa! D'Kraga ha'ak!'' : An expression used by a Dwarf officer in {{T5E}} on first seeing [[Cheery Littlebottom]] in unambiguously female clothing. Given one meaning of "ha'ak" below, it appears that he is expressing conservative disapproval of her dress sense.
+; ''bura'zak-ka'' : town hall
-''b'zugda-hiara'' - lawn ornament.(A killing insult in Dwarfish, however it is used in {{WS}} as a tearm of endearment for [[Hwel]])
+; ''b'zugda-hiara'' : Lawn ornament. (A killing insult in Dwarfish; however, it is used in {{WS}} as a term of endearment for [[Hwel]]. In {{RS}} it is used as an insult for the Deep-Downers, and as a picture for what certain narrow-minded parochial people would reduce the Dwarf race to, if they were to be allowed. Dwarves ''can'' do metaphor and simile, then...)
+; ''Dezka-k'nik'' : king. Literally, "Senior Mine Engineer". ({{RS|, p. 22}}, and others)
-''Dezka-k'nik'' - king. Literally "Senior Mine Engineer".
+; ''d'harak'' : (all peoples who are) not-dwarfs.
+; ''D'kraha?'' : an expression of astonished disbelief (in context in {{T5E}})
-''d'harak ''- (all peoples who are) not-dwarfs.
+; ''[[draht]]'' : a distinguishing tattoo used by [[Deep-Downers]] and inadvertently by [[Samuel Vimes]]
+; ''dhwe'' : "open" as in "open a book" ({{T!}})
-''D'kraha? -  ''An expression of astonished disbelief? (in context in {{T5E}}).
+; ''D'rkza'' : not a proper dwarf ({{T!}})
+; ''drhg'hgin'' : an adjectival clause used for emphasis - as in, ''"it is also important to know when not be too drhg'hgin clever by half."''
-''drhg'hgin'' - an adjectival clause used for emphasis - as in ''"it is also important to know when not be too drhg'hgin clever by half."''
+; ''Gd Tak 'Gar'' : "The Things Tak Wrote" ({{T!}})
+; ''G'daraka'' : after buying each other from their parents before their marriage, the couple is in the state of g'daraka: Free, unencumbered, ''new'' dwarfs.
-''G'hruk, t'uk ''- evening, all. (Lit. "Felicitations to all at the closing of the day")
+; ''G'hruk, t'uk'' : evening, all. (Lit. "Felicitations to all at the closing of the day")
+; ''[[Ginnungagap]]'' : a previously unrecorded phrase first used in {{RS}}. In the context, it may be cognate with ''Tra'ka!'' (below).
-''[[Grag]]'' - A loremaster, teacher, a judge, an elder in the community: the nearest thing Dwarfs have to a priest, whose social position is much that of a rabbi in a Jewish community.
+; ''[[grag]]'' : A loremaster, teacher, a judge, an elder in the community. The nearest thing Dwarfs have to a priest, whose social position is much that of a rabbi in a Jewish community.
+; ''G'rakha'' : an essential rite which must be done with the correct degree of ''ha'lk''
-''G'rakha'' - an essential rite which must be done with the correct degree of ''ha'lk''
+; ''Ga strak ja'ada!'' : roughly, "your attitude or way of life is wrong!" ({{T!}})
+; ''Gr'duzk! aaK'zt ezem ke bur'k tze tzim?'' : Good day! What is all of this that is going on here?
-''Gr'duzk! aaK'zt ezem ke bur'k tze tzim? ''- Good day! What is all of this that is going on here?
+; ''Grr'dukk d'buz-h'drak'': Stated by Angua in "[[Feet of Clay]]," lit "small delightful mining tool of a feminine nature."
+; ''Grz dava'j? K'zakra'j? D'j h'ragna ra'd'j!'' : "With emphatic certainty you know me. I observe the rites of the dwarf. What/who am I? I am the Brothers united." ({{T!}})
-''Ha'ak!'' - A most coarse expletive. In context in {{T5E}}, a most disapproving and pejorative term used to denote a Dwarf female who has <del>fallen</del> <ins>risen</ins> from grace (ie, uses makeup, wears a skirt, and brazenly lets her ankles show): a word with the power to incite near-genocidal anger in certain hearers.
+; ''Ha'ak!'' : A most coarse expletive. In context in {{T5E}}, a most disapproving and pejorative term used to denote a Dwarf female who has <del>fallen</del> <ins>risen</ins> from grace (ie, uses makeup, wears a skirt, and brazenly lets her ankles show): a word with the power to incite near-genocidal anger in certain hearers. ({{T!}})
+; ''Ha'lk'' : what a Dwarf does to correctly fulfil the obligation of the  ''g'rakha''
-''Ha'lk'' - what a Dwarf does to correctly fulfil the obligation of the  ''g'rakha''.
+; ''had'ra'' : stop ({{T!}})
+; ''H'ragna'' : secrets known only to Dwarfs
-''H'ragna'' - secrets known only to Dwarfs.
+; ''Hr'grag'' : the ordinal number Thirty
+; ''Jar'akh'haga'' : the Ideas Taster, or personal advisor to the Low King.
-''Hr'grag'' - the ordinal number Thirty.
+; ''J'ds hasfak 'ds''' : I bargain with no axe in my hand.
+; ''[[K'ez'rek d'b'duz]]'' : "Go Round The Other side of the Mountain" - the Dwarf name for [[Granny Weatherwax]].
-''Jar'akh'haga'' - the Ideas Taster, or personal advisor to the Low King.
+; ''Kra'k?'' : an interrogative. "''What is that''?" seems to be a good translation, in context. {{T5E}}
+; ''[[Kruk]]'' : Dwarf mining law.
-''[[K'ez'rek d'b'duz]]'' - "Go Round The Other side of the Mountain" -  the Dwarf name for [[Granny Weatherwax]].
+; ''K'zakra'' : a rite of passage all Dwarfs must undergo. There is a massive Records Chamber underneath the [[Schmaltzberg]] in which the records of every Dwarf on the Disc's progress through ''k'zakra'' are filed and kept up to date. This suggests ''k'zakra'' is a lifelong journey for the Dwarf.
+; ''P'akga 'a'p'akaga-ad...'' : It is the thing, and the whole of the thing.
-''Kra'k? ''- an interrogative. "''What is that''?" seems to be a good translation, in context. {{T5E}}
+; ''[[Shatta]]'' : An unexpected treasure.
+; ''[[Cheery Littlebottom|Sh'rt'azs]]'' : Cheery's true name, expressed in Dwarfish. It is, apparently, a literal translation.
-''[[Kruk]] ''- Dwarf mining law.
+; ''Ta'grdzk!?'' : an emphatic interrogative used by a Dwarf officer with a battalion of axes behind him to back up his point. Untranslated in {{T5E}}, in context it appears to convey impatience and an inability to accept idiots gladly.
+; ''T'dr'duzk b'hazg t't!'' : "Today is a good day for someone else to die!" A battle cry, and apparently the worst or one of the worst it is possible to utter in Dwarfish, as (according to [[Carrot]], at least) once it is said ''someone'' has to die.
-''K'zakra ''- a rite of passage all Dwarfs must undergo. There is a massive Records Chamber underneath the [[Schmaltzberg]] in which the records of every Dwarf on the Disc's  progress through ''k'zakra'' are filed and kept up to date. This suggests ''k'zakra'' is a lifelong journey for the Dwarf.
+; ''[[tra'ka]]'' : a minimal, unworthy, beneath-notice, thing ({{T!}})
+; ''zadkrdga'' : "one who smelts". One who finds the pure ore of truth in the dross of confusion. A kind of special investigator. ({{T!}})
-''P'akga 'a'p'akaga-ad...'' - It is the thing, and the whole of the thing.
-''[[Shatta]]'' - An unexpected treasure.
-''Ta'grdzk!?''  - an emphatic interrogative used by a Dwarf officer with a battalion of axes behind him to back up his point. Untranslated in {{T5E}}, in context it appears to convey impatience and an inability to accept idiots gladly.
-''T'dr'duzk b'hazg t't! ''- "Today is a good day for someone else to die!" A battle cry, and apparently the worst or one of the worst it is possible to utter in Dwarfish, as (according to [[Carrot]], at least) once it is said ''someone'' has to die.
-''[[Tra'ka]] ''- a minimal, unworthy, beneath-notice, thing.
 [[Category:Discworld culture]]
 [[Category:Discworld concepts]]
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Dwarfish phrases: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 21:54, 29 February 2020

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