Many Minneapolitans will argue that we’re different from the rest of Midwest, and the truth lies in our dialect – which demonstrates just how unique the language in the Twin Cities really. Minneapolis vernacular is one-of-a-kind and should be celebrated throughout the entire state (and country), since no one really uses the English language in the way we do. These nine phrases will make you begin to think Minneapolitans have their own language!
To the rest of the world, a pair of twin cities are simply two cities who are alike in population and size. To Minnesotans, the Twin Cities are the center of the entire state and can only ever be Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
"Neither a borrower nor a lender be," Polonius once said. Minneapolitans say to heck with grammar rules and are always asking if someone will borrow them something instead of asking "Can I borrow..?"
To understand Minneapolis (and Minnesota as a whole), you'll need to brush up on your Scandinavian history, since so much of the population has heritage rooted in Scandinavia. Our football team might not be as fierce as the real Vikings, but we still celebrate every single touchdown with a Norwegian cheer. Skol!
The Jucy (Juicy) Lucy is a burger comprised of two patties with a ton of molten hot cheese in the center. Either Minneapolis' 5-8 Club or Matt's Bar made the first one ever, but no one quite knows for sure. It's upu for you to decide by sinking your teeth into this gooey heart attack-inducing burger.
Although the amusement park inside the Mall of America in Bloomington is now referred to as "Nickelodeon Universe," most millennial Minneapolitans would beg to differ, since they grew up in the 90s when the park was named Camp Snoopy, after the famous Peanuts Gang.
This childhood game is played as such: children sit in a circle, while one child wanders around the circle, patting each child's head, and declaring them either a duck, a duck, a duck, or a grey duck! The grey duck has to stand up and chase the other around the circle, hoping to get back to their spot before the other, so they don't get tagged "it." The rest of the country might use the word 'goose' instead of grey duck, but Minnesotans know they're wrong.
If it's 40 degrees Fahrenheit in Minneapolis, you'll see people wearing shorts. We know how to tough out cold weather, and unless it's below zero we won't really say that it's cold outside.
Any phrase referring to soft drinks is applicable here. It's not "soda" in Minnesota, it's "pop."
Minneapolitans don’t really have their own language, but with their different usages of the English language and unique phrases, sometimes it’s easy to believe that we just might!
Of course, we couldn’t cover all of Minneapolis’ vernacular, so that’s where you come in; tell us about your favorite unique Minneapolis phrases in the comments below!
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