The proper response to "O-H!"...

[BuckeyeInTheBoro]

OK, so I just got back from vacation in Chicago and Wisconsin and I was happy to see a lot of Buckeyes... problem is no-one seemed to know the proper response to "O-H!"

In Chicago, I'm walking down the street and my daughter points out a guy walking the other direction in an OSU shirt and hat. When he gets close I call out "O-H!" and he looks right at me puzzled. As we pass, I point to his hat (I'm wearing one too and my daughter's in her #10 jersey) and say "Go Bucks!" The guy looks at me like I'm from another planet. It bothered me a little, but I thought to myself, "maybe he doesn't speak English" or "maybe he's not that big a fan" and let it go.

Later in the Nike store while looking at OSU and other BigTen school's stuff I see another guy in an OSU shirt, looking at another OSU shirt and I say "O-H!" He ignored it so I said, "Go Bucks" and he kind of smiled and went back to looking at the shirt. I expected more from a guy looking to purchase additional OSU gear, but again, I just let it go.

A few days later at a waterpark in Wisconsin, I was walking with my kids and my OSU fan niece and TSUN fan nephew (I know... I blame the parents) and I see this guy in an OSU hat, OSU jersey, OSU shorts and bright red shoes. Remembering Chicago, I almost let it go, but I wanted to show my nephew how real OSU fans could great each other anywhere and this guy was decked out... obviously a huge fan... so I gave it one more shot. I very loudly yelled out "O! H!"... nothing. I looked right at him not 10 feet away and complete with hand motions yelled it again... slower and more carefully enunciated... nothing. After he passed, I yelled back, "You're supposed to say 'I-O!'" to which he blushed and gave a very feeble "i-o."

Moral of the story is this... If you are decked out in OSU gear from head to foot... at least know the proper response to "O-H!" :(



O-H...

 

[iambrutus]

thats shitty.

i've had a few similar experiences, but i've also had a bunch of hearty "I-O" returns as well.

i was in St. Paul MN a few months back and saw a fellow buckeye at a sports bar, fired off and O-H and he gave back the loudest I-O i've ever heard.

 

[Mac]

Yeah, from my experiences out of the state of Ohio, not many people get the OH thing...I wonder if they are scUM spies

What you described above, I have been a victim of many times. Especially down in the Carolina area, many people looked at me like I was some kind of an idiot when I gave out a hardy OH.

 

[BuckeyeInTheBoro]

Yeah, from my experiences out of the state of Ohio, not many people get the OH thing...I wonder if they are scUM spies.

My theory is that you have to go to some games in person to get it. If you just watch on TV you may never pick it up. I like the scum spy theory though... it could be that too.

What you described above, I have been a victim of many times. Especially down in the Carolina area, many people looked at me like I was some kind of an idiot when I gave out a hardy OH.

LOL! I live in North Carolina and I usually get a good reply here... just the luck of the draw I guess.

I've started up many conversations with complete strangers after noticing an OSU hat, etc. Just a few weeks ago I met a family in a Greensboro, NC Home Depot who just moved here from Toledo. Turns out we grew up just a few miles apart. It makes a move away from home easier when you realize you've got "family" wherever you might move.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

BITB: Your problem was that you were around a bunch of northwestern and wisconsin fans who were only wearing Buckeye gear because they lost bets to true Buckeyes last fall.

mstevmac: Your problem was the rate of literacy in the South. People there were in Champs looking for SEC gear and got confused.


Moral of the story: If they don't give you an , they're not a real :osu: fan.

 

[BuckNutty]

I didn't mess up the O-H return or anything but I'm not much better. Last time I was in Masschusetts I went to pick my buddy up at the steamship and I was wearing a Buckeye t-shirt. In my defense I will say I was completely bombed at the time. Anyway, a guy walking off the boat sees my shirt and says "Go Bucks!" to which I responded "Thank you"

I did hear a successful O-H-I-O chant at the Mohegan Sun in March.

 

[iambrutus]

I didn't mess up the O-H return or anything but I'm not much better. Last time I was in Masschusetts I went to pick my buddy up at the steamship and I was wearing a Buckeye t-shirt. In my defense I will say I was completely bombed at the time. Anyway, a guy walking off the boat sees my shirt and says "Go Bucks!" to which I responded "Thank you"

I did hear a successful O-H-I-O chant at the Mohegan Sun in March.

thank you?



thats great

 

[CCI]

While in Las Vegas few years ago I yelled OH and heard an IO in one of the casinos, which that made my day and I went on a winning streak on the poker table.

 

[BUCKYLE]

Memorial day, '07, ferry back to the mainland from Put In Bay...I'm shitfaced to the third power. We're all huddled up under the shelter, waiting to board the boat, and I yell "O-H"...nothing. I then start yelling at these two puerto rican chicas that they had better say "I-O" in response to my "O-H". They did, and the rest of the crowd caught on soon after.

Moral of the story is, some people just feel uncomfortable yelling in public, until you make them feel more uncomfortable by yelling at them. All of a sudden, yelling "I-O" doesn't seem that big a chore when you have a drunk, 200+ lb man yelling incoherently about how to spell "OHIO".

 

[BuckNutty]

thank you?



thats great

You think that's funny, you should have seen the look on the dude's face.

 

[BuckeyeTillIDie]

Sometimes the O-H can catch you off guard.

For example, I was walking down the street in Florida back in may, just talking to my sister and looking in some stores when someone comes walking by an proclaims "O-H!". It caught me by surprise and I paused for like 5 seconds before responding, making the whole interaction a little awkward.

 

[Mac]

Memorial day, '07, ferry back to the mainland from Put In Bay...I'm shitfaced to the third power. We're all huddled up under the shelter, waiting to board the boat, and I yell "O-H"...nothing. I then start yelling at these two puerto rican chicas that they had better say "I-O" in response to my "O-H". They did, and the rest of the crowd caught on soon after.

Moral of the story is, some people just feel uncomfortable yelling in public, until you make them feel more uncomfortable by yelling at them. All of a sudden, yelling "I-O" doesn't seem that big a chore when you have a drunk, 200+ lb man yelling incoherently about how to spell "OHIO".

Are you sure they were chicas? I mean you did state that you were shit faced to the third degree.

 

[BUCKYLE]

Sometimes the O-H can catch you off guard.

For example, I was walking down the street in Florida back in may, just talking to my sister and looking in some stores when someone comes walking by an proclaims "O-H!". It caught me by surprise and I paused for like 5 seconds before responding, making the whole interaction a little awkward.

You want awkward? I'm at the Natoma here in Nerk the night of the LSU-Arkansas(?) game that LSU lost. After the game, everyone is cheering, I yell O-H, and the response I get is "H-O"!...The dude just gave me a dirty look when I kept calling him Manfred.

 

[Mac]

You want awkward? I'm at the Natoma here in Nerk the night of the LSU-Arkansas(?) game that LSU lost. After the game, everyone is cheering, I yell O-H, and the response I get is "H-O"!...The dude just gave me a dirty look when I kept calling him Manfred.

 

[PlanetFrnd]

O-H...

I-O!!!