Common Minnesota Phrases That Sound Nice but Are Actually Insults

'Minnesota Nice' is definitely a real thing! However, it can be seen in two ways: Minnesotans are actually very nice people (see story below), but Minnesotans are also passive-aggressive, which can be taken as being 'nice'.

READ MORE: Minnesota Nice is Proven True with New Study of the Most Charitable States

While we're generally nice people here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, that's not what we're here to talk about. We're here to talk about the passive-aggressive side of Minnesotans.

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Minnesotans are notoriously never blunt, can't get to the point, and always tiptoe around awkward situations.

Because of this, we've come up with phrases that may sound like we're being nice, but actually, they're insults.

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Passive-Aggressive Phrases Minnesotans Use

You've heard the phrase 'bless your heart', right? It's most common in southern states. While it sounds sweet, 'bless your heart' is usually meant as an insult. If someone thinks you're being naive or stupid, they might say 'bless your heart'.

In Minnesota, we have phrases like that, too. Let's see if you've ever noticed them. Or maybe you use these!

Minnesota Phrases That Sound Nice But Are Actually Insults

'oh that's interesting'

The Phrase: Oh, that's interesting.

What it Actually Means: That's ugly, tastes bad, is stupid, etc.

'that's one way to do it'

The Phrase: That's one way to do it.

What it Actually Means: You're an idiot.

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The Phrase: You're young yet.

What it Actually Means: You're just naive.

'well aren't you ambitious'

The Phrase: Well aren't you ambitious?

What it Actually Means: Why would you ever do something like that?

'ya don't say'

The Phrase: Ya don't say.

What it Actually Means: Another way to say you're an idiot.

' i could never pull that off but as long as you like it'

The Phrase: I could never pull that off, but as long as you like it.

What it Actually Means: It's ugly, but I'm not going to say that to your face.

'i suppose'

The Phrase: I suppose.

What it Actually Means: I really don't want to, but I'm giving in.

'we'll have to get together sometime'

The Phrase: We'll have to get together sometime!

What it Actually Means: We will actually never contact each other, and both of us are totally ok with that.

'isn't that something'

The Phrase: Isn't that something?

What it Actually Means: It's hideous.

'that's different'

The Phrase: That's different.

What it Actually Means: Similar to 'that's interesting'. It's ugly, tastes bad, etc.

'you go right ahead'

The Phrase: You go right ahead.

What it Actually Means: You're dumb for doing this, but I won't stop you.

'that's nice'

The Phrase: That's nice.

What it Actually Means: I'm not interested in this topic, and I don't want to continue talking about it.

Of course, all of these could be used in a perfectly nice way, but it's all about HOW it's said. Listen for the inflection clues to see if the speaker is being sincere with you or not.