My wife is Norwegian

[Bigfoot Mike]

The meaning of UFFDA

It's on the bumper stickers of cars all over North America, Norwegians are known to say it on many occassions, but it's not in the dictionary. Thanks to a postcard we received from Bergquist Scandinavian Imports in Minnesota, we can now share with you what the words UFF DA mean:

UFF DA IS:

* trying to dance the polka to rock and roll music
* losing your wad of gum in the chicken yard
* having Swedish meat balls at a lutefisk supper
* spending two hours cleaning up my room and my mom says 'Uff Da'
* walking downtown and then wondering what you wanted
* arriving late at a lutefisk supper and getting served minced ham instead
* looking in the mirror and discovering you're not getting better, just older
* trying to pour two buckets of manure into one bucket
* having a mouse crawl up your leg when you're on a hayload
* eating hot soup when you've got a runny nose
* getting out of bed in the morning with a backache
* getting swished in the face with a cow's wet tail
* waking yourself up in church with your own snoring
* forgetting your mother-in-law's first name
* when two steady girl friends find out about each other
* noticing non-Norwegians at a church dinner using lefse for a napkin
* eating a delicious sandwich and then discovering the spread is cat food
* sneezing so hard your false teeth end up in the bread plate
* NOT being Norwegian

[Mary F]

One of my brothers had a girlfriend from Minnesota, many years ago. I always thought "uff da" was just a cool way to sigh.

But your explanation is better!



I also didn't realize it's two words...

[Bigfoot Mike]

Throw your hands up and sigh = UFF DA

[Per Walthinsen]

Mike:
Here is another expression in common use among Norwegians: "Ja---" (must be said as you inhale air).

[Bill MacDermod]

back in the late 50's I worked with a Scandinvian who used to say tventy years it take me to learn how to say job (past yob) and now they call it a proyect (project

[james kent]

Years ago I worked with an all Dutch construction crew. The building inspector made a remark as to why I wasn't Dutch also. They answered that " I was the local minority".

[Rick]

My grandfather (Olof Oloffson) was born in Jamtland, Hammerdal, Sweden in 1904. Until I was about 5 years old I pronounced a "lamp" as a "yamp". It's amazing how the accent persists in generations.