Best Line I Ever Heard in Real Life

On TV, and especially in the movies, clever lines abound, but few of them were ad-libbed by the actors or polititions, who both use writers. I'm going to tell you about the best line I've ever heard in real life (that is, what you and I would have if we didn't spend our lives in front of computer screens.) I can't remember exactly who said it so long ago (more than thirty years) but I do remember the time and place. It was in the Petty Officer's Club in Rota, Spain where someone who'd had too many cervezas tried to pick a fight. The object of his non-affection said to the guy: "Don't mess with me! I know karate!! ... and several other Japanese words."

Anyway, back then I probably knew fewer Japanese words than my clever friend and not only did not know any kanji but never expected to learn any. But now that I do know at least a few kanji, I'd like to tell you about the connection between karate (空手) andkaraoke (空オケ). That's right, they both begin with 空 (sounded "kara") ; kara-te is "empty hand" and kara-oke is, roughly, "empty voice," -oka being a contraction. And 空桶 is "empty bucket" although it sounds just like karaoke. This suggests to me that many karaoke singers should be required to sing with buckets over their heads so they will have a chance to realize just how awful they are, or at least a chance to muffle their voices a bit. Oh, 空 can also be sounded "sora" in which case it means "sky" or "heavens," and is the Kanji 長谷川 空　(Sora Hasegawa) of Ah! Megami-sama! uses for her personal name.