OSC// Ope.

The seemingly innocent slightly muted exclamation for surprise or over-apologizing is but a “Midwest” thing, apparently. Although usually only recognized by Millenials and Gen Z age ranges, this phrase is actually widely used by all ages. However, it’s undetermined (by me) if it’s ACTUALLY only a MidWest saying or more broadly used. I do however find that it’s annunciation slightly varies between races, ages, and other demographics; some using a variance of “oop” and others using a slightly modified version that sounds more like “up” but both characterized by the spelling of “Ope”.

Ope is a way of life for Mid-Westerners. It’s used to show recognition of a mistake, minor accident, or/ and used as part of an apology. The word “ope” (annunciated “ōp” or “əp”) is distinctly used rather consciously or unconsciously. Use of the word has been realized by natives as far as Michigan to Wyoming and many places in between. The word, amongst a bevy of phrases containing it, has been used for many years but it was noticed and pointed out a few short years ago after going viral — a fact to which one ironically says: ope!

Shop or view Ope: _Here.