Today’s Word of the Day – “Yooper” – is one that is so new I’m guessing even those fluent in Ojibwa won’t guess the etymology. A “Yooper” is a native or resident of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The name comes from the pronunciation of the initials “U.P.” – get it? – and has been in use only about 40 years. Yoopers refer to anyone who lives in the Lower Peninsula as a troll since they live “under” the Mackinac Bridge. But that nickname is still too much of a regionalism to qualify for entry in most dictionaries. Still, you just gotta love a little good-natured intrastate rivalry, eh?
A Yooper’s-eye view of a resident of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.
Perhaps the best Word-of-the-Day yet. It would seem, however, that the Yoopers are not as egalitarian as I [inside joke]. Still, Yooper vs. Troll has quite a ring to it as well as being extremely clever in a PUNitive sort of way.
Eric was just there. On the U. P.