A friend of mine from Michigan brought something to my attention that I found unusual. He said that people in the Midwest make an odd sound when we accidentally bump into someone other than saying "excuse me".

The sound he is referring to is "ope"

Have you ever found yourself saying the word "ope"?  

Sometimes we make this sound when something bad or awkward happens. For example, you're at work and bump into someone and you say "ope".  Maybe you're fumbling with something you're trying to hand to someone and you say "ope".

Many of us agree we all seem to use the word, if we stop to think about it. But we also never realized we were even saying it until someone pointed it out.

So now we're wondering how far this vocal utterance extends. Apparently, other parts of the Midwest use this little phrase as well. Friends from Minnesota and Wisconsin have  admitted to me they also say this odd little word.

Now the question is: Do Iowans make this same sound? And where do you think it comes from?  Are we simply too lazy to say "pardon me"?

Heck, we're even too lazy to say "oops".

We just say "ope"

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