The Meaning of Ferda: What It Is and How To Use It

This article will give you all the info you need on the word ferda, including its definition, origin, example sentences, and more!

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What does the word ferda mean?

Most commonly, ferda is used a slang term meaning “for the.” According to Urban Dictionary, the term can be used to say “ferda boys” instead of “for the boys,” and can also be used to describe someone as a good friend. Finally, it can be used to describe something that sounds cool. This term is commonly used by hockey players. It can be abbreviated “ftb.”

It is a very common slang term in many regions of Canada, including Alberta, according to NarCity. Ferda is often used as a common excuse for a man to do something less than wise while under the influence. Someone might say he’s going to use a trash can lid as a sled down a snowy hill “ferda boys” while intoxicated.

Ferda is one of the most common and cliché tersm used by hockey players, according to USask. Here, it can be used as a shortened form of “ferda boys” or “ferda girls” which is commonly used to recognize a player who is playing for the benefit of the whole team. Throughout the years, it had evolved to a more ironic usage and less in earnest. This may be a reaction to the term becoming more widespread. Someone could be described as a ferda themselves, meaning a team player, or one can do something that is ferda, meaning for the benefit of the whole team.

This hockey slang is used widely throughout non-competitive leages all the way up to the NHL. Professional players like Wayne Gretzky may even use terms like ferda!

Additionally, ferda is a Norwegian prefix used to make nouns that relate to travels and journeys, according to WordSense. One example of a word using the prefix ferda would be ferdamann, meaning “traveller.” Here, ferda is attached to the word mann, meaning “man,” to mean “journey man” or “travelling man.”

How can ferda be used in a sentence?

Ferda can be used in a multitude of ways. One could be described as a ferda, as shown below.

Two boys, Tom and John are discussing a third, Ben, whom they did a group project with in school.

Tom: “Did you see the project Ben brought in today? It looks amazing! So much better than whan we left it.”

John: “Yeah, it looks like he stayed up all night to finish it. He’s pretty ferda.”

Tom: “I agree. He’s ferda. We should get him something nice as a thank-you.”

Here, Ben is described as being ferda, because he did something for the collective benefit of the group.

Ferda can also be used as a shorthand to describe something that sounds cool. For example, now Tom and John approach Ben after getting an A on their project.

John: “Hey Ben, we wanted to say thank you for working so hard on the project. Want to go down to skate at the rink after school? Our treat!”

Ben: “Sure, that sounds pretty ferda! Thanks guys!”

Here, Ben is using ferda to describe getting to skate for free as cool.

How is ferda seen in popular culture?

Ferda is most commonly seen in the Hulu tv series Letterkenny. According to Screenrant, main characters Reilly, played by Dylan Playfair, and Jonesy, played by Andrew Herr, use the phrase repeatedly. The show also stars Jared Keeso, who plays Wayne and often uses his own slang, like “pitter patter” to express impatience, according to Cinemablend. The two boys are hockey players in Letterkenny, a small town in Ontario. For the players, playing “ferda” means playing without selfish intentions. The hockey players commit to conducting themselves in a way that benefits the whole team. Someone could score a hundred goals, but a champion is made by playing ferda.

TV shows like Letterkenny shows exaggerated usage of the word ferda among other hockey terms, but still presents many accurate and relevant examples of hockey lingo. Hockey talk is an interesting example of Enligh jargon in that it is fairly universal amongst most English speaking players. This could be compared to the use of the surfer vernacular, in that most coastal surfers have a similar vibe, lingo, and even accented speech that they use all stemming from the surfing sport.

What are synonyms of ferda?

If ferda is being used to mean a good friend, any of the below can be synonyms, according to Thesaurus. Definitions provided bv Oxford Languages.

·      Pal – A good friend.

·      Buddy – A close friend or acquaintance.

·      Ally – A person who helps another in a particular subject or activity.

·      Chum – A close friend.

·      Mate – A friend or companion.

If it is being used to describe something as cool, the below can be used interchangeably:

·      Neat – Pleasant or very good.

·      Boss – Excellent or outstanding.

·      Divine – Delightful or excellent.

·      Keen – Informal, meaning excellent.

·      Swell – Very good or excellent.

What are the origins of the word ferda?

The common slang usage of the word ferda comes from hockey jargon, and has made its way into Canadian common usage throughout the years due to the popularity of the sport in Canada. Hockey jargon has not only given us the word ferda, but many others. They have created a multitude of random words that now refer to specific objects and events in hockey.

For example, in normal English, cheddar is just a type of cheese. In hockey, it refers to the uppermost part of the goal. Another unique hockey term is sauce, which means passing a puck to a player by floating it in the air. This may stem from the word saucer, or flying saucer.  There are even a plethora of words that refer only to a hockey player’s hair, including lettuce, salad, and flow. They call their teeth chiclets, like the gum, and could be described as missing some chiclets if they have had teeth knocked out. They also describe a post-goal celebration as a celly, and according to The Hockey Writers, a snipe as a powerful shot, or a duster as someone who is bad at hockey.

The Norwegian prefix ferda stems from the Old Norse prefixes ferða-‎ and ferðar-. These are related to the Proto-Germanic “fardiz,” which means journey. According to Etymonline, this was used as an abstract noun relating to the prefix far-, meaning to fare or to travel.

Overall, ferda is a shortened term meaning “ferda boys” or “ferda girls.” This is a slang term meaning “for the.” It can also be used to describe someone who is a good friend, or who does something for collective benefit, or to describe something as cool. Ferda is commonly used in hockey vernacular is is seen often in the show Letterkenny on Hulu.

Sources:

  1. https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Ferda
  2. https://www.narcity.com/en-ca/life/calgary/12-slang-words-you-will-100-hear-in-calgary
  3. https://screenrant.com/hulu-letterkenny-hilarious-slang-term-meanings-ranked/
  4. https://words.usask.ca/helus/2018/02/06/language-of-hockey/
  5. https://www.wordsense.eu/ferda-/
  6. https://www.etymonline.com/word/ferdinand
  7. https://www.thesaurus.com/
  8. https://www.cinemablend.com/television/2553891/key-letterkenny-words-and-phrases-explained
  9. https://thehockeywriters.com/how-to-talk-like-a-hockey-player/