Monday, September 27, 2010

Uff da

My first phase of preparation for my upcoming travels will be to learn the language of this foreign land. Or at the very least, key words and phrases that will be important in finding my way around. Thanks to my dear friends Kyle and Katie (their wedding is the reason I will be traveling to Minnesota), I've been told the first phrase I must master is "Uff da". According to Wiki Uff da can also be spelled huffda, uff-da, uffda, uff-dah, oofda, ufda, ufdah, oofta or ufta. Uff da is an expression of Norwegian origin adopted by Scandinavian-Americans in the 1800s and is an exclamation of that is relatively common in the Upper Midwestern.

Uff da is a term for sensory overload. It can be used as an expression of surprise, astonishment, exhaustion, relief and sometimes dismay. For many, Uff da is an all-purpose expression with a variety of nuances, and covering a variety of situations.

Urban Dictionary was kind enough to provide several examples of Uff da use:
#1 (Person one) Did you hear about all the people in Haiti that have died..?
(person two) Yah, Uff da..

#2 Hey Lets go get an Uff Da Taco at the fair!

I think I am more confused now than I was before. An Uff Da Taco?  If you're a native Minnesotan please provide clarification in the comments section.

1 comment:

  1. uffda tacos are amazing! its basically a flat taco that you eat with a fork.

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