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OK - first attested 1839, only survivor of a slang fad in Boston and New =
York c.1838-9 for abbreviations of common phrases with deliberate, =
jocular misspellings (cf. K.G. for "no go," as if spelled "know go"); in =
this case, "oll korrect." Further popularized by use as an election =
slogan by the O.K. Club, New York boosters of Democratic president =
Martin Van Buren's 1840 re-election bid, in allusion to his nickname Old =
Kinderhook, from his birth in the N.Y. village of Kinderhook. Van Buren =
lost, the word stuck. The noun is first attested 1841; the verb 1888. =
Spelled out as okeh, 1919, by Woodrow Wilson, supposedly on model of a =
Cherokee word; but this was ousted quickly by okay after the appearance =
of that form in 1929. Okey-doke is student slang first attested 1932.=20
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<DIV><STRONG><U>OK</U></STRONG> - first attested 1839, only survivor of =
a slang=20
fad in Boston and New York c.1838-9 for abbreviations of common phrases =
with=20
deliberate, jocular misspellings (cf. <I>K.G.</I> for "no go," as if =
spelled=20
"know go"); in this case, "oll korrect." Further popularized by use as =
an=20
election slogan by the <I>O.K. Club,</I> New York boosters of Democratic =
president Martin Van Buren's 1840 re-election bid, in allusion to his =
nickname=20
<I>Old Kinderhook,</I> from his birth in the N.Y. village of Kinderhook. =
Van=20
Buren lost, the word stuck. The noun is first attested 1841; the verb =
1888.=20
Spelled out as <I>okeh,</I> 1919, by Woodrow Wilson, supposedly on model =
of a=20
Cherokee word; but this was ousted quickly by <I>okay</I> after the =
appearance=20
of that form in 1929. <I>Okey-doke</I> is student slang first attested =
1932.=20
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