Here are 10 experiences that show you’ve lived in Nebraska for far too long:
- You say “Ope!” instinctively when accidentally bumping into someone.
- You call a shopping cart a “buggy.”
- You know what “Runza” is and probably crave it often — a local meat-filled bread pocket.
- You cheer “Go Big Red” for the Nebraska Cornhuskers without missing a game.
- You use “pop” instead of soda when asking for a soft drink.
- You’re used to the ever-changing weather—sun, wind, rain, tornado sirens—all in a few hours.
- You’ve perfected the polite “farmer wave” when passing other drivers in rural areas.
- You rely on and love Dorothy Lynch salad dressing like it’s a regional treasure.
- You can pronounce “Aksarben” (Nebraska spelled backward) and know it’s a key Omaha neighborhood.
- You’ve heard or used older phrases like “doodinkus” for ‘thingamabob.’
These small linguistic quirks and cultural habits show a deep embedding in Nebraska’s unique local character and lifestyle.
SOURCES
[1](https://www.reddit.com/r/Nebraska/comments/a3ihz9/nebraska_phrases_colloquialism_jargon/)
[2](https://www.enjoytravel.com/us/travel-news/guides/nebraska-slang)
[3](https://wheninyourstate.com/nebraska/15-slang-words-only-people-from-nebraska-know/)
[4](https://www.iheart.com/content/2021-08-23-if-you-use-this-slang-word-you-probably-grew-up-in-nebraska/)
[5](https://justinogburn.com/talk-like-a-local-in-omaha/)
