# Word of the Week - 3/17/15 Edition...



## rocky1 (Apr 16, 2016)

When I won this one last week I was thinking this ain't gonna be so tuff! Oh yeah...

However, several words came to mind! Unfortunately, having lived in the deep south, and way out in the Midwest both, for a number of years, with a 3 year layover on the Gulf Coast stuffed in back there in my early middle of things, it makes it even tougher, cause I can see people knowing pretty much anything. So we're gonna throw a mixed bag at it this week...

First up, sticking with Just Allan's southern tradition:

*Cooter* - No it is not that you perverted old...

And, second for those in far away places:

*Oy Vey* - All you Minisoatans got this one nailed I'm sure! Having watched the movie Fargo, once, a long long time ago, which was inappropriately named for a town in North Dakota, so that we had to bear the grief of everyone in the entire world saying, "Oh you're from North Dakota; I saw that movie Fargo. Does everyone talk like that up there?" When in fact they were only in North Dakota where people talk normal, for 5 minutes in the damn movie, it was Minisoatans that talked like that!!! So I'm sure you guys know it!!

Y'all have fun with it!


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## ripjack13 (Apr 16, 2016)

Cooter? Never knew that one....other than the dukes of hazzard....

Reactions: Agree 1


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## rocky1 (Apr 16, 2016)

Yeah it's pretty commonly used down here in the south, and was in fact the reason Cooter got his name.


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## justallan (Apr 17, 2016)

I thought I had no clue on "oy vey" and googled it, so I'm out on that one.
I'm guessing cooter is referring to a crazy person.


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## Sprung (Apr 17, 2016)

rocky1 said:


> *Oy Vey* - All you Minisoatans got this one nailed I'm sure! Having watched the movie Fargo, once, a long long time ago, which was inappropriately named for a town in North Dakota, so that we had to bear the grief of everyone in the entire world saying, "Oh you're from North Dakota; I saw that movie Fargo. Does everyone talk like that up there?" When in fact they were only in North Dakota where people talk normal, for 5 minutes in the damn movie, it was Minisoatans that talked like that!!! So I'm sure you guys know it!!



I think I'm DQ'ed on this one.  Spent 4 years in MN for college. After grad school (which was in WI), I spent 4 1/2 years in ND. Now I've been back in MN for a little over 2 years.

(Yes, I got that "Fargo" question a lot - seemingly just about every time I traveled out of the state, and even often when talking to someone out of state by phone or e-mail...)


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## Blueglass (Apr 17, 2016)

I always thought of Oy vey as a Jewish term, my guess has alqays been "my god" or something like that.

Edit: I had to look it up and it is Yiddish, I now know exactly what it means. I won't post it because I cheated... Google.


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## rocky1 (Apr 17, 2016)

justallan said:


> I thought I had no clue on "oy vey" and googled it, so I'm out on that one.
> I'm guessing cooter is referring to a crazy person.




Nope... not even close!

Reactions: Funny 1


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## SENC (Apr 17, 2016)

Well, if not the x-rated version, I've always thought a cooter was a turtle - but can't think of why Cooter would be named for one.

As for oy vey, I seem to remember a Saturday Night Live skit that used it a lot, but have no clue what it means.


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## Schroedc (Apr 17, 2016)

The only Cooter I'm familiar with that is family friendly was the Dukes of Hazzard

Oy Vey is a great piece of Yiddish slang, Kinda translates to "Why Me?" (I'm married to a woman who came from a family that is 1/2 Jewish)


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## rocky1 (Apr 17, 2016)

We got a winner on the Southern side of things! Cooter usually refers to a small water turtle, commonly referred to as a painted box turtle in the north, or relative thereof. Cooter on the Dukes was named that because he wasn't known to move real fast, or get real excited about much. I got a buddy named Cooter, who used to work in the local garage, who got the name because of the show, and because he was slow and laid back.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## rocky1 (Apr 17, 2016)

You guys are on it today!!





wikipedia said:


> *Oy vey*
> From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> _*
> Oy vey*_ (Yiddish: אױ װײ‎) or _*oy vey ist mir*_ is a Yiddish phrase expressing dismay or exasperation. Also spelled _*oy vay, oy veh*_, or _*oi vey*_, and often abbreviated to _*oy*_, the expression may be translated as, "oh, woe!" or "woe is me!" Its Hebrew equivalent is _*oy vavoy*_ (אוי ואבוי, ój waävój).[1][2]
> ...


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## Schroedc (Apr 17, 2016)

I'll throw another one out there since we are on the topic of Yiddish slang.

Know what you are calling someone if you use the word Schmuck or Putz?

Reactions: Like 1


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## rocky1 (Apr 17, 2016)

I knew one of them guys from minisoata would get that last one! And, he nailed it even before coffee!

I do find it strange that it is Yiddish, but of Germanic origin. The phrase was commonly used amongst cute young gals of Germanic origin out in ND when I first started going there. Occasionally the guys used it, but not nearly so often, nor were they nearly as cute when using it.

Great job guys!

Being the lucky winners, since there was two words, you now get to collaborate on next week's Word of the Week! Or, each dream up one of your own, then we can have twice as much fun!


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## duncsuss (Apr 17, 2016)

The Norwegian equivalent of "oy vey!" is "uff da!" (sometimes just "uff!"). I don't remember "oy vey!" from Fargo -- but if it is part of the dialog, it's something the Coen brothers snuck into the script to see who was paying attention. (Kind of like Mel Brooks's Indian chief in Blazing Saddles, who spoke Yiddish.)

I didn't get "cooter" -- but once I read "turtle" I knew that was the right answer. Must've encountered it someplace before, I just don't remember when/where. Happens a lot


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## rocky1 (Apr 17, 2016)

> *cooter*





> _noun_ coo·ter \ˈkü-tər _also_ ˈku̇-tə\
> Popularity: Bottom 30% of words
> 
> *Definition of cooter *
> ...




http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cooter


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## rocky1 (Apr 17, 2016)

Now that you mention it Duncan... Most of the guys in North Dakota did use "Uff Da" instead. Never made that connection until now. They were more into the Ole and Lena jokes as a possible reason for that. There were a lot of first and second generation Americans in that neck of the woods back when we started going out there, so a lot of those folks still spoke German and Norvegian frequently and fluently. German men loved telling Norwegian jokes, so the guys did very likely pick up Uff Da there, while the girls hanging out around their German mothers picked up the Oy Vey at home.


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## justallan (Apr 17, 2016)

Great words Rocky.
I based my guess on the saying, "crazy as a coot". Ya, I sure missed that one.
I figured that "oy vey" was some French word or something and wasn't even going to guess. After looking it up I realized well heck I say oy all the time, but never made the connection. I use that and Duncans word "uff da" when something is heavy, when I get kicked or hurt and when I'm straining on a wrench or bar.
The bad part is that I didn't even know that they were words.

Reactions: Funny 3


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## rocky1 (Apr 17, 2016)

Schroedc said:


> I'll throw another one out there since we are on the topic of Yiddish slang.
> 
> Know what you are calling someone if you use the word Schmuck or Putz?




No but I got an old friend in ND that I affectionately refer to as Putz all the time. Started that one after grumpy old men came out, because we knew a couple old farts just like the characters in the movies, actually his father-in-law and his next door neighbor. All of us fished; all of us ice fished; some of the best times I ever had fishing was with him and those two old farts.

Don't remember much about those outings, just knew they musta been fun when we woke up the next morning!! Those two old bastards would drink all your beer, fuss and carry on because you didn't bring enough, whine and cry, then one of them would go to the truck and come back with a liter of snapps. Pretty soon that was gone, and they'd whine and carry on, and pretty soon one of them would go to the truck and come back with a bottle of home made choke cherry wine. (_Stuff would take paint off it was so stout! We're talking 15 - 20% alcohol!! But SMOOOOOOTH!!!_) After awhile they'd go get another one! Time you left the lake, it was everything you could do to find the truck, let alone carry all your tackle and fish back to the truck, then you had to carry theirs up to the truck, occasionally had to help them to the truck, then we had to go clean fish for the old guys, because they were SHOT!!!

Miss them old boys, they've both passed on, and I and Stan get more and more like them all the time.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1 | Sincere 1


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## rocky1 (Apr 17, 2016)

justallan said:


> Great words Rocky.
> I based my guess on the saying, "crazy as a coot". Ya, I sure missed that one.
> I figured that "oy vey" was some French word or something and wasn't even going to guess. After looking it up I realized well heck I say oy all the time, but never made the connection. I use that and Duncans word "uff da" when something is heavy, when I get kicked or hurt and when I'm straining on a wrench or bar.
> 
> The bad part is that I didn't even know that they were words.




Now that's funny right there! I figured you might be a shoe-in on either with ties to the south, and living out there in the Northern Plains.

To be honest with you, I never knew why they called turtles "Cooter" down here, or where that term was derived from, so I learned something picking it as well. And, honestly never understood why cute young gals of German heritage walked around speaking Yiddish! That was an eye opener for me as well.


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## duncsuss (Apr 18, 2016)

rocky1 said:


> They were more into the Ole and Lena jokes


I knew a lady from Minnesota with Norwegian ancestry. When I lived in Oslo I did a little research and found a couple of relatives, such that when she and her mum & dad visited they were able to have a family reunion. Kathie would send me Ole and Lena jokebooks from time to time -- I still have this one -- and (my all-time favorite) Scandinavian Humor (and other myths)

Reactions: Like 1


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## ripjack13 (Apr 23, 2016)

I just found one of my old hats....

Reactions: Like 4


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## ripjack13 (Apr 24, 2016)

Schroedc said:


> The only Cooter I'm familiar with that is family friendly was the Dukes of Hazzard
> 
> Oy Vey is a great piece of Yiddish slang, Kinda translates to "Why Me?" (I'm married to a woman who came from a family that is 1/2 Jewish)





rocky1 said:


> We got a winner on the Southern side of things!



 Just a friendly reminder....It's your turn this week bro haam...


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