this post was submitted on 06 Aug 2024
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I don’t get the ope part
"Ope" is a common exclamation in Minnesota as an expression of a very Midwestern accent. The meme example is "Ope, lemme sneak right past ya there and grab the ranch".
To be met with "oh yah, you betcha"
Oh god, this is giving me Fargo flashbacks, I couldn't handle the accent
Oh come on, it may be annoying but it's not nails on a chalkboard bad, like Boston or Jersey.
Not just Minnesota, but a lot of the upper Midwest. Wisconsin, northern Illinois, probably northern Iowa and parts of Michigan, too.
Hoosier here. We "ope" in Indiana as well.
Oh yah, North DaKOHta.
Ohio too
We ope in Nebraska, it goes deeper than you think
Definitely in Michigan. It was one of the only parts of my speech that never disappeared after living in Texas for a decade.
Like an abbreviation of “Oops”?
No. It is very specifically pronounced "Ope", like "hope" without the "h", and it has it's own distinct meaning.
The thing I’ll say is closer to “‘up” And I use it more like “oh no! You caught me inconveniencing you. I’m so embarrassed 🫣”
Definitely seems related though…
I'm a transplant to the Midwest, and I catch myself using it as a "get someone's attention" noise sometimes.
The more I think about it the more I think it’s actually something I say, just not consciously. And I’m from the Mid-Atlantic; not the Midwest.
Also found this article that hypothesizes a few origins including, yes, a shortening of “oops!”
In Minnesota at least, it's more of an expression noise like "oh!" in terms of use and definition.
TIL
On top of the other comments, it's a play on the Obama "Hope" poster.
That part was obvious but I’ve even been to Minnesota and love the movie and show Fargo and didn’t ever catch ope but after reading the descriptions I think I’ve even said it a few times unknowingly
https://www2.startribune.com/sorry-but-why-do-minnesotans-say-ope-all-the-time/511630701/
https://youtu.be/qb_-taYLRfY?si=gi2Lrdkwy56WKWny