Jokes that Japanese People Might Not Get:

中途半端
ちゅうとはんぱ
chuu to han pa

Definition:
どっちつかずで、徹底しこと。やりかけで、物事が出来上がらないさま。
Translations:
1. Half-assed
2. Incomplete
3. Left undone

Have you seen the movie Jumper? If not, don't, but just to fill you in, it's basically about a guy who can transport himself anywhere he wants at any time.

We went to see it with our friend Taishi, who seems to like all movies, as long as they're action oriented and have cool special effects. It didn't bother him that the plot was contrived, and so many story-lines left unresolved with the obvious intention of paving the way for a wallet draining franchise. It was, in many ways, a movie that was 中途半端、in it's creation.

But, the thing about "Jumper" in Japanese, is that it's ジャンパ (janpa). Which led Brett to start thinking about rhymes.

To rhyme, in Japanese, is　韻をふむ (I need a kanji check on that fumu), but I don't know how much emphasis they put on rhyming in things like plays-on-words.

So Janpa, rhymes with 半端(hanpa), as in 中途半端. Just saying 半端 (as I learned from Brett, via Nirav) can mean half-assed, or at half-strength. It's often used with "ではない” to negate it, like when it's pouring rain, one can say 「半端じゃない」 to indicate that it's coming down heavy. Or when that kid punched me (see 言語道断), I said 「傷つけるつもりではなかったけど、半端ではなかった。」”

So then, Janpa and 半端 also rhyme with ナンパ (the widely used Japanese word that means "girl hunt," going out to pick up some ladies).

When we proposed a shorter film, entitled ジャンパ半端ナンパ　（Janpa Hanpa Nanpa） to our friend Taishi, he was confused, and didn't really laugh, until we acted it out for him:

Janpa-san: おい。電話番後おしえてくれ。
Hey. Lemme get your number.
Ojou-san: あのー
Umm...
Janpa-san:　教えなくてもいいけど。。。
Well, you don't have to tell me it...
Ojou-san:　　え。。。　ええー？
Uh... What?
Janpa-san:　まー、どうでもいい。
That's cool.
Ojou-san:　　何のこと？
What are you talking about?
Janpa-san:　vanishes instantly

Chicks love it when you stare at them all creepy from around the corner first.