
Beyond ‘Ope’ – Michigander Grunts & Groans: ‘Hoomp’, ‘Mmf’, ‘Hup’ and More
Are We Michiganders Too Lazy to Say “Excuse Me”?
All of us have been bumped before. Shopping, at work, at home, at a restaurant...basically anywhere there are other people.
We get bumped in doorways, aisles, rounding corners, on the street...anywhere. I've noticed that if we bump (or get bumped by) a stranger, most of us say “excuse me”...but if we accidentally bump into someone we know, whether it's a friend, family member, or co-worker, what comes out of our out mouths is something different: “ope”. Almost like “oops” mixed with “oh” but not quite.

Trying to make our way through a crowd, most of us say "excuse me" but it seems there are others who are kinda embarrassed to say that; instead they go "hmm," "hup," "hip," "mmp" and the popular "uh".....but "ope" seems to be the most-used.
Of course, we sometime mix a grunt with "excuse me" that comes out something like "koomie," "yoomie," "kyoozmie" or "scooz". Many times we get bumped by that one person who is overly impatient, and all we hear is a loud exasperated sigh or a low growling under the breath.
We make other weird utterances too. If we're lifting something heavy, then it usually comes out as "hoomp" or "mmff." After accidentally dropping something, I've heard variations of "ope"....like "ode" (short for 'oh damn'?), "ahd," "ahk," "gaa" and other bizarre grunts.
Reportedly, residents of others states have been know to use “ope” like Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin. There are theories as to where ”ope” originated, but nothing definitive. It's just one of those quirky things we have gotten from each other and passed down over the years.
Don't try to analyze it.....“ope” seems to be the most popular utterance for us and along with all the other odd sounds that come out of our mouths, we live with 'em on a daily basis, weird or not.
Well, Excuse Meeee!
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