Why is everybody all of a sudden saying "oof"?
December 8, 2023 8:23 PM Subscribe
I am Italian-American and closing in on 60 years of age. In lo these six decades, I've only ever heard other Italian-Americans say "oof." Until about six months ago, that is. This week alone I've heard it from my assistant, my partner's son's wife, and two friends who don't even know each other, and none of these people are of Italian heritage. What's going on?
Yeah, I have spent most of my life in the mid-atlantic, and "oof" has long been common.
posted by coffeecat at 8:37 PM on December 8, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by coffeecat at 8:37 PM on December 8, 2023 [8 favorites]
"If Naomi be Klein, you're doing just fine/If Naomi be Woolf, then oh buddy. Oof."
I mean, it's not like no one ever said "oof" outside of Italian-American communities, but there have been a couple of zeitgeisty uses of "oof" in the last few years and I think that's nudged it into people's active vocabularies a bit more.
posted by Frowner at 8:43 PM on December 8, 2023 [11 favorites]
I mean, it's not like no one ever said "oof" outside of Italian-American communities, but there have been a couple of zeitgeisty uses of "oof" in the last few years and I think that's nudged it into people's active vocabularies a bit more.
posted by Frowner at 8:43 PM on December 8, 2023 [11 favorites]
Confirmation bias. I’m not Italian American and was raised in North Carolina and I’ve basically always said it, and most of my family and friends drop it at least sometimes. It’s very common in my experience.
posted by greta simone at 8:52 PM on December 8, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by greta simone at 8:52 PM on December 8, 2023 [6 favorites]
“Oof” was a cool term about 5ish years ago amongst The Youth. While I’d heard it for decades as an exclamation for mild exertion (getting on or off the couch is the prime contender), older Gen Z used the term in response to anything mildly embarrassing or inconvenient. Like, “I forgot we had a quiz today,” “oof.” Or to awkwardly underplay the emotional impact of something: “my dog ran away last night,” “oof.”
I haven’t heard the term from younger Gen Z in awhile, but I can believe it took 5+ years to filter through into the general culture.
posted by lilac girl at 9:22 PM on December 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
I haven’t heard the term from younger Gen Z in awhile, but I can believe it took 5+ years to filter through into the general culture.
posted by lilac girl at 9:22 PM on December 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
I am extremely non-Italian-American, and I think I've used it for as long as I can remember. I searched my Metafilter comments, and I've used it four times: twice in 2016 and twice in 2018.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 9:25 PM on December 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 9:25 PM on December 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
I think I picked it up years ago from my coworkers, where it's the kind of thing we say to each other in informal emails when a project or task isn't going well. We're in Seattle, I'm not Italian-American and neither are my coworkers, as far as I know.
Following ArbitraryAndCapricious' idea, I searched my activity and found that I have used "oof" on the site once, in 2018.
posted by creepygirl at 9:59 PM on December 8, 2023
Following ArbitraryAndCapricious' idea, I searched my activity and found that I have used "oof" on the site once, in 2018.
posted by creepygirl at 9:59 PM on December 8, 2023
It's definitely something I've been saying for as long as I can remember as well. Mid 40s, definitely not Italian, Vancouver Canada.
Also since everyone else is searching, I will too. First used in metafilter in 2001.
+1 to the confirmation bias theory. You've most likely never thought about it before, so you've never noticed it. Now that you're aware of it, it seems to be everywhere. It's probably been there the whole time, just not as something your brain thought interesting enough to register until now.
posted by cgg at 10:24 PM on December 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
Also since everyone else is searching, I will too. First used in metafilter in 2001.
+1 to the confirmation bias theory. You've most likely never thought about it before, so you've never noticed it. Now that you're aware of it, it seems to be everywhere. It's probably been there the whole time, just not as something your brain thought interesting enough to register until now.
posted by cgg at 10:24 PM on December 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
My long time Jewish Northern Californian boss has used “oof” just about every day since I met him in 2014.
Millions upon millions of kids born ~2008 are likely using it because they’ve heard it approx one jillion times each because of Roblox.
posted by Back At It Again At Krispy Kreme at 11:46 PM on December 8, 2023 [3 favorites]
Millions upon millions of kids born ~2008 are likely using it because they’ve heard it approx one jillion times each because of Roblox.
posted by Back At It Again At Krispy Kreme at 11:46 PM on December 8, 2023 [3 favorites]
Sounds like a variation of the Baader-Meinhoff Phenomenon (or “frequency illusion”).
posted by erst at 12:29 AM on December 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by erst at 12:29 AM on December 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Roblox?
No, seriously. The “oof” sound when you die(d) was a Whole Thing: https://www.howtogeek.com/783242/what-does-oof-mean-in-roblox-and-on-the-internet/
They replaced it a while back because of some licensing issues but it’s still A Thing: https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/27/23280552/roblox-replaces-iconic-oof-sound
posted by parm at 12:32 AM on December 9, 2023 [7 favorites]
No, seriously. The “oof” sound when you die(d) was a Whole Thing: https://www.howtogeek.com/783242/what-does-oof-mean-in-roblox-and-on-the-internet/
They replaced it a while back because of some licensing issues but it’s still A Thing: https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/27/23280552/roblox-replaces-iconic-oof-sound
posted by parm at 12:32 AM on December 9, 2023 [7 favorites]
Maybe they're picking it up from you?
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 1:28 AM on December 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 1:28 AM on December 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
I am Italian-American and closing in on 60 years of age
8/9 years ago when I was that age, I was working somewhat physical with an Argentine friend and an involuntary oof must have escaped as I got off my knees. Ah, la edade de los sonidos he said with commiseration.
posted by BobTheScientist at 1:43 AM on December 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
8/9 years ago when I was that age, I was working somewhat physical with an Argentine friend and an involuntary oof must have escaped as I got off my knees. Ah, la edade de los sonidos he said with commiseration.
posted by BobTheScientist at 1:43 AM on December 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
In the US, "oof" was trendy in 2017-2019 and then trailed off to a slightly elevated but steady level relative to pre-2017.
posted by pracowity at 2:17 AM on December 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by pracowity at 2:17 AM on December 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
It's also prevalent in South Asia and has been for many decades. I grew up hearing it.
posted by unicorn chaser at 3:30 AM on December 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by unicorn chaser at 3:30 AM on December 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
The Museum of Modern Art has been prominently featuring Ed Ruscha's 1962/63 painting OOF in ads for their current retrospective of his work.
posted by plastic_animals at 4:39 AM on December 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by plastic_animals at 4:39 AM on December 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
50ish male of Norwegian and Swedish heritage, it's usually said as "uffda" (oof-də), never thought of it before but apparently that syllable/sound means pretty much the same thing to humanity everywhere.
posted by AzraelBrown at 5:19 AM on December 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by AzraelBrown at 5:19 AM on December 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
Mod note: Comment removed. Please stay focused on helping the OP by answering their question and avoid editorializing comments, thanks!
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 7:08 AM on December 9, 2023
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 7:08 AM on December 9, 2023
I was going to say, have you been to the Upper Midwest lately? Because "uff da" is totally a thing.
posted by humbug at 7:22 AM on December 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by humbug at 7:22 AM on December 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
As a noise, I think it's a fairly common sound people make for frustration and uncomfort. As a word, it was definitely a phrase among the handful of nerdy, not super socialized tweens I knew a few years ago. Roblox being a common denominator with them is very logical
posted by Jacen at 7:51 AM on December 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Jacen at 7:51 AM on December 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
GenX anglo Canadian here, can confirm that "oof" has been around in my circles since at least the 90s, but had an uptick around five years ago.
posted by rpfields at 9:09 AM on December 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by rpfields at 9:09 AM on December 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
“Big oof” had a moment recently in certain online circles, thanks to Sonic the Hedgehog.
posted by mbrubeck at 9:26 AM on December 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by mbrubeck at 9:26 AM on December 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Just to add to the anecdata, I'm about your age and not Italian American, but grew up in Italian-American heavy neighborhoods on the east coast. Interesting to think it might have originated with my Italian-American neighbors because it was always a familiar saying to me, and in fact I used it in an askme answer this past week. (Funny, for some possibly amusing pseudo etymology: as a kid I assumed the family of my Norwegian-American best friend in childhood was just using its extended version, Uffda.)
posted by ojocaliente at 9:36 AM on December 9, 2023
posted by ojocaliente at 9:36 AM on December 9, 2023
Response by poster: “Oof” was a cool term about 5ish years ago amongst The Youth. While I’d heard it for decades as an exclamation for mild exertion (getting on or off the couch is the prime contender), older Gen Z used the term in response to anything mildly embarrassing or inconvenient. Like, “I forgot we had a quiz today,” “oof.” Or to awkwardly underplay the emotional impact of something: “my dog ran away last night,” “oof.”
Yes, all of these people have been older Gen Z! And also using it in ways that seem a little off to me. Interesting. Also, I live in a pretty rural, nondiverse area, and most things take a little while to filter through to us.
Of note, all of these instances have been via text, not an oral exclamation of effort, discomfort, etc., and specifically spelled "oof," not "uff," not "uffda." I have a pretty keen awareness of this word for personal reasons (and have a photo of me with the Ed Ruscha painting taken over 20 years ago!) and it's definitely not something people have been saying to me several times a week all these years.
posted by HotToddy at 9:55 AM on December 9, 2023
Yes, all of these people have been older Gen Z! And also using it in ways that seem a little off to me. Interesting. Also, I live in a pretty rural, nondiverse area, and most things take a little while to filter through to us.
Of note, all of these instances have been via text, not an oral exclamation of effort, discomfort, etc., and specifically spelled "oof," not "uff," not "uffda." I have a pretty keen awareness of this word for personal reasons (and have a photo of me with the Ed Ruscha painting taken over 20 years ago!) and it's definitely not something people have been saying to me several times a week all these years.
posted by HotToddy at 9:55 AM on December 9, 2023
Ouf is a common interjection in French with a wide range of applications.
posted by QuakerMel at 11:16 AM on December 9, 2023
posted by QuakerMel at 11:16 AM on December 9, 2023
> “Big oof” had a moment recently in certain online circles, thanks to Sonic the Hedgehog.
The Sonic thing is from 2022, and would have itself been referencing a longer-running usage of "oof" and "big oof" for embarrassing, awkward or uncomfortable situations that goes back quite a few years, e.g. this big oof meme was doing the rounds in 2019-2020 and I don't recall that usage as being new at the time.
posted by automatronic at 4:49 PM on December 9, 2023
The Sonic thing is from 2022, and would have itself been referencing a longer-running usage of "oof" and "big oof" for embarrassing, awkward or uncomfortable situations that goes back quite a few years, e.g. this big oof meme was doing the rounds in 2019-2020 and I don't recall that usage as being new at the time.
posted by automatronic at 4:49 PM on December 9, 2023
Fun fact: In Hawaiʻi pidgin, "oof" means to have sex. Da braddah wen oof her.
posted by flod at 11:18 AM on December 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by flod at 11:18 AM on December 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
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(Non-italian that has been saying "oof" for decades)
posted by noloveforned at 8:31 PM on December 8, 2023 [58 favorites]