Catch Phrase

My roommates have developed a catch-phrase. 

Or perhaps it is a verbal tic, or the beginnings of a vernacular; it is hard to tell. Linguistic classification aside, here is the newly-evolved word: “Ooooooof.”

It is the sound of dismay upon opening the laundry room door to discover that, yes, it still smells of dead bird. It is the sound of the power going out, 2 hours into a 3 hour Old School RuneScape online quest. It is the sound of a used lunch container discovered after a weeklong stint in one’s work bag. 

In short, it is a useful phrase that conveys a lot of emotion. As you might guess, the depth of said emotion may be further communicated by modulating the vowels. The laundry room situation, for example, has progressed from “ooof” – barely an exhalation – to “ooooooooooof” – a moan of horrified despair. 

What makes all this even more entertaining is that – at the right time, under the right circumstances – if you sit very quietly in the shared living room and listen carefully, you can hear “ooof”s echoing from four rooms at once. It’s magical. I like to envision them exploding like tiny dandelions gone to seed: “oof!” “oof!” “OOOF!” 

Quick, make a wish! – just be careful you don’t plant more.

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