What does O.K. stand for?

On March 23, 1839, the initials “O.K.” are first published in The Boston Morning Post. Meant as an abbreviation for “oll korrect,” a popular slang misspelling of “all correct” at the time, OK steadily made its way into the everyday speech of Americans.

Is OK short for okay?

Short answer: Yes! Both “OK” and “okay” mean “all right,” and they can both be used to express agreement. Many people think “OK” is a shortened version of “okay,” but, as explained above, “OK” came first. In fact, “OK” has been around since the 1840s, with “okay” emerging a few decades later.

What is the origin of the word OK?

OK's origins are disputed; however, most modern reference works hold that it originated around Boston as part of a fad for misspelling in the late 1830s, and originally stood for "oll korrect [all correct]". This origin was first described by linguist Allen Walker Read in the 1960s.

Does OK come from Greek?

One theory: it came from the Greek phrase "ola kala," which means all good. And then there's the Choctaw word "okeh," which sounds like and means okay. President Woodrow Wilson reportedly thought it was the "correct" spelling of the word, and would OK documents with "okeh."

What president created the word OK?

New York National Guard honors President Martin Van Buren, who gave the world 'OK' KINDERHOOK, N.Y. —The man who gave the English language the term "OK" was honored by the New York National Guard on the 233rd anniversary of his birthday, Saturday, Dec.

What does OK stand for?

Who was the first person to say OK?

Rather than anyone purposefully inventing "OK," it's actually editorial joke that inadvertently went viral. It all began in the office of Charles Gordon Greene at the Boston Morning Post, Good Magazine writes. The year was 1839, and among writerly folk, abbreviations were all the rage (think LOLZ, OMG or NBD today).

Why is OK spelled OK?

The exact genesis of OK is unclear, but one popular theory contends that in the nineteenth century, people began spelling “all correct” phonetically (“oll korrect” or “orl korrect”) as a bit of a laugh. Later, they shortened it to the initials OK.

Where did OK come from in the military?

According to tradition, General Andrew Jackson, later president of the United States, signed military documents OK” for “oll korrect,” a misspelling of “all correct.” Woodrow Wilson, another U.S. president, said that the expression was short for okeh, a Choctaw word meaning “It is well.” Neither of these stories is ...

What does OK mean in war?

Roger Thomas is correct in that OK is short for oll korrect, but it is not of military origin. It started as a comical abbreviation during a fad in New England in the 1830s. Others were OW (oll wright), KY (know yuse, or no use), and NS ('nuff said).

Do all languages say OK?

The Global Dominance Of OK

And yet, OK has burst out of the United States and is now used all over the world. OK has made appearances in Spanish, Dutch, Arabic, Hebrew, Korean, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese, French, Russian, Indonesian, German, Maldivian, Malay, Urdu, Punjabi, Filipino and other languages.

What word was used before OK?

Before 1839, English speakers had "yes", "good", "fine", "excellent", "satisfactory", and "all right". What OK provided that the others did not was neutrality, a way to affirm or to express agreement without having to offer an opinion.

What is the old word for OK?

So when “o.k.” appeared in print, it was intended to be the shortening of “oll korrect,” the humorous misspelling of “all correct.” According to Allan Metcalf, author of OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word, Boston Morning Post editor Charles Gordon Greene, who often wrote witticisms and took shots at ...

What does OK stand for in US states?

OK (Oklahoma) OR (Oregon) PA (Pennsylvania) RI (Rhode Island) SC (South Carolina)

Is okay a rude response?

Depending on the context of the conversation using the word “okay” to respond to a short/long text can be viewed as being rude/dismissive by the person you are talking to. Sometimes more is expected of you than mere acknowledgment.

What is OK in Internet slang?

Phrase. kk. (Internet slang) Reduplication of k (“okay”) (indicates that no further explanation is necessary for a subject, or that the message was understood and will be acted upon without further confirmation).

What does a OK mean in text?

Meaning of A-OK in English

completely right or acceptable: The doctor says I'm A-OK now, that there's absolutely nothing wrong with me. Informal words for good. amazeballs. apple pie.

What does OK mean Oxford dictionary?

/əʊˈkeɪ/ (also okay) (informal) safe and well; in a calm or happy state.

What did Vietnam soldiers call the enemy?

the Viet Cong; the enemy. the Communist-led forces fighting the South Vietnamese government.

Why are American soldiers called GI Joes?

“GI Joe” is a household name. Originally, GI stood for “Galvanized Iron”, the primary material used to make military items, i.e., buckets. However, as the military grew and evolved over time, GI took on multiple meanings, including “Government Issue”, “General Issue”, and even “Ground Infantry”.

Is OK a word in Scrabble?

Other words that you can now play in a Scrabble game include macaron, facepalm, emoji, puggle, and ew. But of all those words, it's the inclusion of "OK" that has some Scrabble players divided. The rules of Scrabble prohibit acronyms that are always spelled with capital letters, such as IQ or TV.

Why do people use OK?

Most historians agree that OK stands for "all correct," which is why we use the word to express agreement, approval or just as a way of saying that everything is fine. The shorthand expression came about during the late 1830s, when it became popular to use abbreviations rather than entire terms during conversations.

Does OK have periods?

According to Gregg Reference Manual, okay is written without periods. “In sentences, the forms okay, okayed, and okaying look better than OK, OK'd, and OK'ing, but the latter forms may be used.” When used as a verb, spelling okay out is preferred. OK is the form supported by Merriam-Webster and the AP style guide.

What is a word for OK but not OK?

I would say “Decent” since it means good, but also emphasizes on the fact that you are not doing very good. If you follow up with a “I'm decent I guess.” it will put it out there that you are not okay.

How do you say OK in the UK?

Tickety-boo – means OK and may have originated from a Hindi word meaning everything is fine. It's one of those nice-sounding words you will hear when someone wants to express everything is going exceptionally well.