Minnesotans get a bad rep for having a thick Canadian accent. It seems like we're always portrayed that way in TV shows and movies. Not all of us have a thick accent...but a lot of us like to use our own words and phrases that's hard for the rest of the world to understand. If you want to learn to speak like a Minnesotan, we've translated a few of our key words into meanings that people from around the world can better recognize what we're talking about. Here are 20 words to help you sound like a Minnesotan.

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  • You bet: It means 'yes'. We're not actually betting on anything. We are just saying yes to you. Example: Person A: 'Want to go to the mall with me?" Person B: 'You bet!"
  • Hot dish: No, we're not calling you attractive. It's a term for what outsiders call 'casserole'.
  • Pop: Yes, it may describe a sound...but this is what outsiders call 'soda'.
  • Dinkytown: it's a pretty specific area by the U of M. It usually means you're going bar hopping.
  • SKOL!: This one basically means 'Go Vikings'. We love our football.
  • Up North: It really depends on where you are. There's no specific answer to this one, but Minnesotans know exactly what you're talking about. It's more of a feeling...being in the woods, at the cabin, etc.
  • Fer sure: We say this one out of agreement, or sometimes politeness.
  • Fer cute!: It means 'Oh that's so cute!"
  • Fer goodness sake: To translate, we'd say, 'Are you serious?'
  • Fer cryin' out loud: This is the same as 'fer goodness sake'.
  • Fer Pete's sake!: We say this out of frustration. Example: "For Pete's sake, you just tracked mud throughout the house!"
  • Dontchya Know: We say this when we're telling you something that's likely news to you. We're gettin' a McDonalds in town, dontchya know!
  • Gosh darn it: It's another way to say a pretty well-known swear word.
  • Oh cripes: It's a negative term that we use when we're pretty upset something isn't going the way we planned.
  • A bit of snow: It means we're getting a lot of snow, so buckle up.
  • Cheese head: it's how we insult people from Wisconsin.
  • The cities: This is basically anywhere in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and surrounding suburbs.
  • Town: When someone is going to town, they usually mean they're traveling to a place where there are stores.
  • Uffda: It's what you say when something is surprisingly shocking.
  • Camp Snoopy: This one means Nickelodeon Universe. We've got letting go issues.

 

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