Names
Valge (Adj.)
White. Street names referred to by an adjective (occasionally an adverb or attributive) are in the nominative (see Introduction and Kollane). Name given (2001) to the NE stretch of former Lasnamäe, after the Tallinna Alumine Tuletorn (Tallinn lower lighthouse), visibility 12 nautical miles, sometimes known as Katharinenthal Front Light, but correctly as Tallinn leading-line front lighthouse, formerly known as Valge majakas, or white lighthouse, located at ///monitors.slides.harps. Today it is painted an increasingly-fading brick-red where the previous red lighthouse Majaka is painted black and white (sorta).
Valgevase (Valgevask)
Brass (lit. white copper). Interesting vanilla alternative to its earlier Russian Латунная ул. (latunnaya) or Germanic Messingstraße. While the Estonian name is quite simple and says what it says, and Russian латунь – prob. from MLG latōn or lattun which, like Fr. laiton and Ital. ottone, all of which seemingly from the arabic لَاطُون ‘lāṭūn’ for ‘copper alloy’, itself from earlier Turkish *altuń, or gold – is twisted, but moderately so, German Messing, from MHG messinc (or missink, cf. Old Eng., mæstling), derives ultimately from a people in Cappadocia, the Mossynoeci (Μοσσύνοικοι), known, if we are to believe Xenophon, for their skills in metal-working, communicating by whistling, and fucking in public. So there’s hope for you yet. Name due to local foundry. Prolongs Malmi. See Vase.
Välgu (Välk)
Lightning. Useful expression: Välk ja pauk! ≈ “Damn it!” Lit. Lightning and crash/bang/(rumble?)! (unrelated, but pauk is reminiscent of Lithuanian perkunija, for thunderstorm, thunder and lightning). Readers of Pratchett’s earlier Discworld novels will be pleased to know that one possible translation of ‘to coruscate’ is välkuma. Its designation as a street is a bit optimistic, unless you accept 10 m of tarmac and 2 heaps of gravel as a concept of a street leading, in theory, to its non-existent meteorological partner Pikse. There used to be another Välgu in Nõmme, a Soviet occupation renaming (1960-1989) of Glehni N.v.
