Uff Da And Other MN Oddities

This state is like a foreign country at times. The state government actually shut down a few weeks back because they couldn't agree on a budget. At one point, they didn't even pretend to be negotiating.

Umm, hello. Can we say 1st grade here? State workers were really ticked off because they all weren't getting pay checks while the lawmakers, who didn't meet their deadline were. Truthfully, if it were me I'd be a bit ticked off too.

Last week they came to a temporary agreement and so workers started back on Monday but they had to have a permanent agreement by midnight last night. They barely avoided a second state shutdown. I'm sure come re-election time, a lot of those people won't be heading back to the Capitol.

So on to another oddity here. One of the funniest things we have heard around here since we have lived here is "Uff da." People say it all the time and it was even said in one of our news casts. The explanation below is from a Star Tribune article I read today.

You learn something new every day:).


Uff da

What does the "oofda" mean? It's not in the dictionary and I hear people around here say it all the time.

It's "uff da." It's a Norwegian expression used to express compassion, empathy or annoyance. You can safely say it, for example, when your co-worker slams a finger in the drawer, when you walk into a door or when your mouser drags a dead rat into the kitchen.

From Viking Newsletter, Stockon Calif.

All photographs copyright Maria Neels 2005