"Huh" ??

I used to think my #1 pet peeve was poor spelling and grammar. Turns out, I have a new #1 grievance. The world I was raised in, when you cannot understand another person or did not hear the entire phrase ... will ask "Pardon?""Can you repeat that?" "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that?"

Mainers however, respond with a huge, honking: HUH?!

And the worst part is that everyone up here does it, from age 8 to 80. And I have to resist the urge to reach out and slap people silly, because quite frankly, HUH isn't a word. It's a grunt. It's rude. I think I cringe a little on the inside every single time.