the -tooth suffix

[mistytail]

So. A lot of people are torn on this suffix. It's been used once in canon, I believe, for the warrior Jaggedtooth. I happen to be a fan of this suffix, as it's part of a cat's body, it represents skill with the teeth, and I think could be used interchangably with -fang. It can also be used for a name-change suffix if the cat's former name doesn't fit and they have some horrible mouth injury.

But a lot of people seem to not be fans of this suffix, and I'm not sure why. So I'd just like to hear everyone's thoughts on it. C:

[celestialsquared]

I don't mind it at all, but I guess there are others who say it's redundant and -fang should be used instead. Then again, we have -fur and -pelt so like those two -tooth can stand for something slightly different than -fang. When I hear -fang I think of one of the cat's canines, when I hear -tooth I think of some of the other smaller teeth cats have.

[mistytail]

Yeah, that's what I think too (if my mind doesn't go one-parting on me and think of a tooth sticking out). At least with Grey's version of traditionalism, -fang is a cat that's above average in hunting and fighting, and I think it's fair to say that a good amount of cats could be above average. You have a little less B students than C students, but there's still more of them than A-students, so I think it's fair to say that you could have both -tooth and -fang for being above average but still well-rounded, while -claw, -whisker, -nose, etc. are for excellence in a specific area.

[Lady Ten]

Tooth being used as a suffix is fine with me, but I'll admit I like "fang" a little more. It just sounds more feline, the way "paw" sounds better to me than "foot" (for the record, I'm fine with foot too, though I'd rather see "tooth" used, honestly). I don't see this one used as a suffix very often, and while I don't have any real data on how much it gets used, I think there might be some people who are less partial to it not because it doesn't make sense or because it doesn't sound tough, but because it's hard to get a name with this suffix to "flow" or "sound nice," I assume (I don't often evaluate names on those terms, so I'm not entirely sure what those folks are thinking).

Back on topic, "tooth" sounds a little less desirable to me on an aesthetic level because fang is more specific and puts me more in the mind of weaponized use, whereas a tooth can just be... a tooth. "Fang" is more fierce and more closely associated with wild animals. "Tooth" can be aggressive too, but when I think of it that way, it makes me think of a Sharptooth -- like the animated dinosaur -- and for me, that doesn't help its case.

That said, I still do think it works, and it's a fine suffix. I'd just use "fang" sooner is all.

[mistytail]

I was so annoyed that there was a canon Sharptooth in the series (the mountain lion that thought the Tribe was tasty) but no Littlefoot anywhere in sight. (Erins, make this happen. Extra points if you kill their mom.)

And yeah, I agree it doesn't have much aesthetic value to it. Then again, I'm not a big fan aesthetically of -nose. It looks awkward with most names in my opinion. (Which is why I use it sometimes, but that's another thread.) I was just confused by most people's dislike of it. It seems perfectly reasonable to me. (But yes, -fang definitely looks and sounds better than -tooth, I agree with you there. I'd much rather see Lionfang than Liontooth. But hey, they both work and make sense.)

[Lady Ten]

HOLY.

NO.

YOU KNOW WHAT HAD BETTER HAPPEN?

The Warriors Redesign is so changing Littlecloud to Littlefoot.

Aw, you don't like nose? I like nose. But that's neither here nor there; we agree that both suffixes make sense.

[mistytail]

-nose can be cute, but to me, it just looks awkward with some prefixes.

Oh dear sweet baby Jesus, yes. Let's do this. Littlefoot of ShadowClan. We're doing this, man. We're making this happen.

[vbfdoee]

where doing this man

where making this hapen

I think -tooth is a cool suffix; I just can't think of what it would represent.

[leah]

Okay, one thing I have to say.
If we get to Moonrise in the Redesign, what are we going to do with Sharptooth?

Okay, question over.

-tooth is one of those suffixes where, I recognize that it has meaning, but it's so negative I rarely use it; like -fall and -flight; they have meaning, but those meanings are negative. I see -tooth as an appearance suffix, like a Yellowtooth would be a cat whose teeth look absolutely horrid, or, as said, can be used as a rename.

Misty: Yes, -nose can look weird with some prefixes, but honestly, most suffixes have those weird pairings. Like you know, Daisyflower. It works and sounds nice but it seems redundant. ehehe. But -nose can also sound adorable with some prefixes. Honeynose, for example. I saw that name once and I actually squealed because it sounded so cute.

[Grey]

Because -fang exists to represent above average skills in both hunting and fighting, -tooth would be redundant and unnecessary as a suffix for the same meaning.

and I think it's fair to say that a good amount of cats could be above average.

No. If a lot of cats are above average, they are the average. Average doesn't mean "the worst of the lot", it means the most common result of the lot. So if everyone can hold their own in a fight well enough and catches enough prey to make it through Leaf-bare, that's the average. That's what you have to be better than in order to deserve a skill suffix.

's been used once in canon, I believe, for the warrior Jaggedtooth.

Not quite true. The first use in canon was Jaggedtooth, but there have been subsequent cats with the suffix, such as Piketooth and Shrewtooth. This is the reason why I don't believe -tooth should be used. It's appears to be corresponding.

Going just from the first series, Jaggedtooth is described as a big tabby fellow. He was also a rogue that un-rogued for a while. It's possible his name was Jagged, and they just gave him a 'scary' sounding suffix for effect; or they renamed him entirely, as has been known to happen on a few occasions when new cats join the clan.

I don't believe jagged- is a particularly good prefix for a tabby (maybe it's given because of jagged markings?) and if -fang exists for skills with fangs/teeth/jaws in general, what is the purpose of -tooth? Considering that Yellowfang was a character at that point in time (and her name appears to be corresponding as well, according to Erin Hunter), why put Jaggedtooth instead of Jaggedfang? It doesn't make sense either way you spin it.

I think that Jaggedtooth's name was meant to be correlating, not separate. It meant “a cat with scary, jagged teeth”. That's silly. It's rare that you get to see inside a cat's mouth, unless they're yawning, so the name doesn't draw attention to the most obvious trait of the cat or distinguish them particularly well. If you consider Jaggedtooth to be a corresponding name, that means all uses of -tooth in canon are unanimous in meaning - “this cat has teeth like the prefix”.

Pike (the fish) are renowned for their sharp teeth. Piketooth means “this cat has teeth like a pike”. That's great, except the suffix isn't saying anything of value. The prefix is fine; it describes the cat's appearance. The suffix says “this cat has pointy teeth”. No kidding, yo. It's a cat. That happens.

Same with shrew-. Shrews are not the same thing as mice; they don't have square front teeth. They have needle-sharp pointy teeth. Again – Shrewtooth says “this cat has pointy teeth”. I'm not sure what the point to the suffix is.

The outlier in the trend is Sharptooth, but like Jaggedtooth, it describes that the cat's”teeth are sharp”. Someone give them a medal. To be fair, it was named by the Tribe (I think?) so it's expected not to work within a warrior context.

My point is, -tooth is a bad call. If you want to infer skill with teeth, use -fang. As far as I can see, -tooth means “teeth like prefix”, and you honestly can't do anything with that.

[Mimi]

I don't think it works as is, unless -fang were specifically made to mean a more venomous, aggressive cat which seems ridiculous, but I'd put up with it.

[bbun]

-tooth could represent a cat with its teeth sticking out(like Piketooth or Stonetooth)

[vbfdoee]

Doesn't seem like something a cat would be named after. Suffixes usually

a. Add to the prefix, describing a cat's most salient feature appearance-wise (Bluefur, Greystripe, Deadfoot)
b. Describe the cat's most salient personality feature (Sandstorm, Fireheart, Goldenflower)
c. Describe the cat's greatest skills (Tigerclaw, Spottedleaf, Cloudtail)

(wait... Cloudtail is several times mentioned to be an excellent tracker. why isn't he Cloudnose? ridiculously cute name)

Teeth aren't that prominent a part of the cat's appearance. I don't think that a cat with teeth that stick out would happen often enough for it to warrant a suffix.