By writing about bujoku (侮辱 , insults) in Japanese, I truly risk being labeled a namaiki na yatsu (生意気な奴 , a wiseacre). Well, wisdom comes in a variety of forms, including nasty ones. So, dear reader, even if you are donkan (鈍感 , obtuse), chi no meguri ga warui (血の巡りが悪い, slow to catch on) or just plain atama ga warui (頭が悪い, stupid), I'm sure you'll still get something out of reading this. Just read slowly, mouthing every word.

Now, kashikoi (賢い) may mean "clever," but inside other words it can take on a less sanguine meaning. You should not be pleased if someone calls you warugashikoi (悪賢い), which means "too clever by half." And don't be delighted if you are referred to as a kozakashii yatsu (小賢しい奴) just because the English equivalent, which is "smart aleck," has "smart" in it.

Oh, I could go on and on. How sweet it is to bring people down a peg or two, especially people deserving of a healthy drubbing! Only when writing a column like this can one throw PC (I am not referring to my computer, you IT geeks out there) to the wind and be sexist, ageist and many other juicy "ists."