I don’t get the ope part
“Ope” is a common exclamation in Minnesota as an expression of a very Midwestern accent. The meme example is “Ope, lemme sneak right past ya there and grab the ranch”.
Not just Minnesota, but a lot of the upper Midwest. Wisconsin, northern Illinois, probably northern Iowa and parts of Michigan, too.
The more I think about it the more I think it’s actually something I say, just not consciously. And I’m from the Mid-Atlantic; not the Midwest.
Also found this article that hypothesizes a few origins including, yes, a shortening of “oops!”
No. It is very specifically pronounced “Ope”, like “hope” without the “h”, and it has it’s own distinct meaning.