(usually mispronounced `oss' or `oos' in the UK) Difficult to translate accurately, the term is often used to mean `yes' or `OK' in UK karate clubs. A more accurate translation might be `Yo!' or `Wassup!' or even `Hey dude!' This small word is probably responsible for more divisiveness among practitioners than everything else put together. For some, it is a mystical symbol imbued with spiritual significance; for others it is a vulgarity that should be confined to the locker room.