tugh Dor qoSlIj. nom yIlop! (MO's untranslated FaceBook text to Lieven, 3/29/2012) We don't know how to wish someone "Happy birthday!" - or even if Klingons celebrate birthdays - though most of us use some variant of *qoSlIj DatIvjaj, which was supported by a recent post on holiday greetings: [Maltz] said he has been asked before about "Merry Christmas" and "Happy New Year". He thought they were silly things to say (and, of course, there are no traditional Klingon ways to say these things), but he said that if you have to say "Happy New Year", you could say DIS chu' yItIv or DIS chu' DatIvjaj or DIS chu' botIvjaj or the like. For "Merry Christmas", he wasn't so sure. He said that perhaps you could use the name of the holiday (which would be QISmaS) and say QISmaS yItIv or QISmaS DatIvjaj and so on. He thought that people who know about Christmas would understand that. [Lieven, 12/12/2013] In what turned out to be an alternate reality, Riker remarks that Worf seems extremely tense, considering he just returned from a vacation at the *bat'leth* tournament on Forcas III. Worf replies that today was his birthday. They reach Worf's quarters, but Worf is hesitant to enter and cautiously looks around. Riker asks what's wrong and Worf replies that he's afraid someone might have set up a surprise party for him. Unfortunately for him, they did. Back in reality, Troi presents him with a gift and says that Riker wanted to throw him a surprise party but she talked him out of it, for which Worf is grateful. Troi says that she knows Klingons like to be alone on their birthday, "You probably want to meditate or hit yourself with a painstick, or something." (TNG "Parallels") In view of Worf's attitude, SIQ "endure, bear" might be a better choice and there's precedent: 'oy' DaSIQjaj May you endure the pain! PK (during the nentay) yIn nI' yISIQ 'ej yIchep Live long and prosper! RT Related vocabulary: yatlh be pregnant (v) bogh be born (v) Sep breed (v) lop celebrate (v) tIv enjoy (v) SIQ endure, bear (v) bech suffer (v) chergh tolerate (v) lop celebration (n) lopno' party, celebration (n) yupma' festival (n) 'uQ'a' banquet, feast (n)