Oy

A distant relative of uh-oh.

O + y may be the most expressive two letters I know of. It is a cousin of OMG. “Oy” is an all-occasion response. Here are a few examples of what “oy” might mean:

  • How scary that must be! 
  • That’s just so sad
  • Now that you told me that, I am worried
  • I hope they will recover from their accident/illness/job loss/divorce
  • I cannot believe he/she did that or said that
  • The news is bad (a cancer diagnosis, an approaching hurricane, a son has flunked out of college or the entire heating system needs to be replaced)
  • The news is really bad and someone has passed away (Add “vey”)
  • You have received some unsettling news in a text and don’t know what to say