OKadj.int.¹n.²adv.

Brit.

/ˌəʊˈkeɪ/, U.S.

/ˌoʊˈkeɪ/

Forms:

α. 1800s– O.K., 1800s– OK, 1800s– o.k., 1900s– ok.

β. 1800s– okay, 1900s– okeh, 1900s– okey.

Origin: Apparently formed within English, as an initialism. Etymon: English oll korrect.

Etymology: Apparently < the initial letters of oll korrect (also orl korrect), humorous alteration of all correct: see A. W. Read in Amer. Speech (1963) 38, (1964) 39, etc.From the detailed evidence provided by A. W. Read it seems clear that O.K. first appeared in 1839 (an instance of a contemporary vogue for humorous abbreviations of this type), and that in 1840 it became greatly reinforced by association with the initialism O.K. n.¹, O.K. int.² (see discussion at that entry). Other suggestions, e.g. that O.K . represents an alleged Choctaw word oke ‘it is’ (actually the affirmative verbal suffix -okii ‘indeed, contrary to your supposition’), or French au quai , or Scottish English och aye , or that it derives from a word in the West African language Wolof via slaves in the southern States of America, all lack any form of acceptable documentation. Competing theories as to the origin of the expression have been in evidence almost since its first appearance; compare:1840 Lexington Intelligencer 9 Oct. 3/2 O.K. Perhaps no two letters have ever been made the initials of as many words as O.K... When first used they were said to mean Out of Kash, (cash;) more recently they have been made to stand for Oll Korrect, Oll Koming, Oll Konfirmed, &c. &c. It is not clear whether the ok of the following quotation represents the same expression:1815 W. Richardson Diary 21 Feb. (1938) 4 Arrived at Princeton, a handsome little village, 15 miles from N Brunswick, ok & at Trenton, where we dined. In form okeh (as used by Dr Woodrow Wilson: see quot. 1919 at sense A. 1β. ) on the understanding that the word represents an alleged Choctaw word oke (see above).

colloquial (originally U.S.).

A. adj.

1. All correct, all right; satisfactory, good; well, in good health or order. In early use, occasionally more intensively: outstanding, excellent. Now frequently in somewhat weakened sense: adequate, acceptable. OK by (someone): fine by (a person), acceptable to (a person). Chiefly predicative.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > quality of being satisfactory > [adjective]

wellOE

sufferablea1340

worthy1340

sufficient1489

paregala1500

competent1535

something like?1556

right1567

sweet1577

fairish1611

all right1652

fair1656

comfortable1658

decent1711

respectable1750

unrepulsive1787

decentisha1814

fair-to-middling1822

fine1828

christena1838

OK1839

tidy1844

not (or none) so dusty?1856

sweet1898

oke1928

okey-doke1934

okey-dokey1936

tickety-boo1939

cool1951

aight1993

the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > quality of being satisfactory > [adjective] > highly satisfactory

OK1839

hunky-dory1866

(all) Sir Garnet1894

kayo1923

hotsy-totsy1924

oojah-cum-spiff1930

patsy1930

not shabby1975

alpha minus1989

α.

1839 C. G. Greene in Boston Morning Post 23 Mar. 2/2 He..would have the ‘contribution box’, et ceteras, o.k.—all correct—and cause the corks to fly, like sparks, upward.

1839 Salem Gaz. 12 Apr. 2/3 The house was O.K. at the last concert, and did credit to the musical taste of the young ladies and gents.

1839 Boston Evening Transcript 11 Oct. 2/3 Our Bank Directors have not thought it worth their while to call a meeting, even for consultation, on the subject. It is O.K. (all correct) in this quarter.

1840 Atlas (Boston) 19 Aug. 2/4 These initials, according to Jack Downing, were first used by Gen. Jackson. ‘Those papers, Amos [Kendall], are all correct. I have marked them O.K.’ (oll korrect). The Gen. was never good at spelling.

1840 Morning Herald (N.Y.) 21 Apr. 2/4 The Brigadier..reviewed his Brigade..and pronounced every thing O.K.

1843 J. S. Robb Streaks Squatter Life 72 His express reported himself.., assured Allen that all was O.K., and received his dollar.

1864 Boy's Own Mag. Nov. 450/1 No thought of taking the trouble to find out whether the order was O.K., or ‘orl korrect’, as Sir William Curtis phrased it.

1865 W. H. Russell Atlantic Telegr. 61 The communication with shore continued to improve, and was, in the language of telegraphers, O.K.

1874 E. S. Phelps Trotty's Wedding Tour xiii. 133 We had an O.K. time till we went to bed.

1894 C. H. W. Donovan With Wilson in Matabeleland xi. 253 As our American friends would say, we were still ‘O.K.’

1900 Law Times 10 Nov. 35/2 The State Court seems to have decided that when a lawyer marks such a decree O.K., he is, by so doing, estopped from questioning that decree by appeal.

1908 C. E. Mulford Orphan xiii. 160 He's an O.K. dog, that's what he is.

1922 D. H. Lawrence England my England 101 At first Joe thought the job O.K.

1928 Z. N. Hurston Let. 15 Oct. in Life in Lett. (2002) 127 Things are ok by me. How is it with you?

1937 D. L. Sayers Busman's Honeymoon viii. 148 ‘I say, Mr. Superintendent, are you going to want me any more? I've got to get back to Town.’ ‘That's O.K. We've got your address.’

1940 ‘N. Blake’ Malice in Wonderland i. ii. 20 Anything that was efficiently organised was O.K. by Paul Perry.

1959 F. Astaire Steps in Time (1960) viii. 66 Some were outstanding—this one was not, but it was o.k.

1977 Zigzag June 31/1 We could have had a great album, rather than an OK album.

1983 B. Willis & A. Lee Captain's Diary vi. 111 I lay there in something of a trance,..just praying that I will be OK to bowl tomorrow.

2000 M. Barrowcliffe Girlfriend 44 xi. 297 Talking until the greasy spoons open is OK by me, if I'm with a group of blokes, but it seems rather a waste of resources when with such a pretty girl.

β. 1895 Bulletin (Sydney) 9 Feb. 15 I'm ryebuck and the girl's okay.1919 H. L. Mencken Amer. Lang. 161 Dr. Woodrow Wilson is said..to use okeh in endorsing government papers.1932 Sunday Express 3 July 9/6 I had given my hand to the comedian and heard him say: ‘Hold on, baby... Hold on. It's okay. You're going to be fine.’1934 N. Sainsbury Gridiron Grit xii. 142 Okay by me.1953 J. Y. Cousteau Silent World 91 Tailliez came up and reported, ‘Everything okay. They're playing chess.’1979 Washington Post 25 Dec. b1/3 A lot of what we get is coming out of guilt, idealism and pity of suburban people, and I suppose that's okay. But it is better if the giving comes out of a relationship.1989 Japan Times 21 May 3/6 He looks good, stable... He will be okay.2000 Feng Shui for Mod. Living May 63/1 Let's take three restaurants in a short parade of shops, all pretty unprepossessing, all have okay chefs..okay menus..okay decor.

2. Fashionable, modish; prestigious, high-class.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > fashionableness > [adjective]

in (also into) request?1574

bonfacion1584

fashional?1607

of request1613

fashionablea1627

à la mode1642

all the mode1651

modish1661

in mode1664

timeish1676

of vogue1678

voguea1695

mody1701

alamodic1753

much the mode1767

tonish1778

go1784

stylish1800

bang-up1810

tippy1810

varmint1823

up to the knocker1844

gyvera1866

OK1869

fly1879

swagger1879

doggy1885

faddy1885

fantoosh1920

voguish1927

voguey1928

à la page1930

go1937

hard1938

hip1939

down1952

swinging1958

a-go-go1960

way-in1960

yé-yé1960

trendy1962

with-it1962

go-go1963

happening1965

mod1965

funky1967

together1968

fash1977

cred1987

α.

1869 Henry De Marson's New Singer's Jrnl. xxxv. 246 The Stilton, sir, the cheese, the O.K. thing to do, On Sunday afternoon, is to toddle in the Zoo.

1899 R. Whiteing No. 5 John St. xxiii. 233 She objected to the parting of the ass's mane as ‘too O.K. for a moke’.

1950 S. Potter Some Notes Lifemanship i. 30 The word ‘diathesis’..is now on the O.K. list for conversationmen.

1950 S. Potter Some Notes Lifemanship v. 78 Just as there are O.K.-words in conversationship, so there are O.K.-people to mention in Newstatesmanship.

1958 Spectator 19 Sept. 360/3 Mr. Macmillan ended his letter by saying we must treat this crisis ‘calmly and constructively’. Both these are very OK words just now.

1963 Listener 17 Jan. 140/3 In an eminently ‘Third Programme’ talk..he drew a comparison between this opera and his recent King Priam which was bedevilled by O.K. names and words.

1973 Times Lit. Suppl. 8 June 650/5 Handy quotations from such OK literary luminaries as Macaulay, Nietzsche, Strindberg, [etc.].

1983 P. Fussell Class v. 97 You used to booze a lot on expensive hard liquor, a habit mastered at a socially OK college.

β. 1958 Observer 7 Sept. 13/4 Being in fusion is the really okay thing now.1966 New Statesman 11 Mar. 348/1 The writer's ideas are rooted deep in the soil of experience and have not been processed into pet ideas and okay-words before they have ripened.1970 G. Greer Female Eunuch 159 His secretary had..moved out of Haight Ashbury when it ceased to be okay to live there.1976 New Society 1 Jan. 5/1 In spite of the levelling effect of package holidays, skiing is still an okay sport. A survey..showed that British skiers were more likely to be upper middle class abs living in the prosperous southern counties.

3. Of a person: decent, trustworthy; congenial.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > love > liking or favourable regard > [adjective] > likeable or agreeable

likewurtheeOE

likeworthyc1175

lovablea1400

likesomea1565

likeable1653

simpatico1844

OK1871

adorable1908

personable1953

α.

1871 J. H. Banka State Prison Life iv. 61 I say, boys, let up on that feller. I had a chat with him to-day, and he's all O.K.

1914 R. W. Lardner in Sat. Evening Post 23 May 62/3 I am going with Allen and his wife and her sister Florence. She is O.K. Al and I guess she thinks the same about me.

1935 W. Faulkner Pylon 95 I don't know the guy. But the two I did know were o.k.

1992 Drew Mag. Winter 15/2 I grew up with the value system that if you're doing something for other people, then you're OK.

1999 F. McCourt 'Tis xvi. 124 Thanks, Hans. You're an OK kraut.

β. 1962 A. La Guma Walk in Night i. 5 ‘He's okay,’ Foxy told him. ‘Mikey's a pal of ours.’1989 R. Kenan Visitation of Spirits 161 The tall basketball players and the large football players joked around him and considered him one of the fellows. An okay dude.2000 Punch (Nassau, Bahamas) 11 Dec. 17/1 Sometimes he bugs me so much I feel like screaming, but other times he is an okay guy.

4. Appropriate, suitable; permissible, allowed. Frequently with for.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > suitability or appropriateness > [adjective]

goodeOE

rightOE

queemlOE

belonglOE

behovingc1175

limplyc1200

tidefula1300

avenantc1300

mackc1330

worthy1340

hemea1350

convenientc1374

seemlya1375

shapelyc1374

ablea1382

cordant1382

meetc1385

accordable1386

accordinga1387

appurtenantc1386

pertinentc1390

accordanta1393

likea1393

setea1400

throa1400

agreeablec1425

habilec1425

suitly1426

competentc1430

suiting1431

fitc1440

proportionablec1443

justc1450

congruent?a1475

cordinga1475

congruec1475

afferant1480

belonging1483

cordable1485

hovable1508

attainanta1513

accommodate1525

agreeing1533

respondent1533

opportunate?1541

appropriate1544

commode1549

familiar1553

apt1563

pliant1565

liable1570

sortly1570

competible1586

sortable1586

fitty1589

accommodable1592

congruable1603

affining1606

feated1606

suity1607

reputable1611

suited1613

idoneousa1615

matchable1614

suitablea1616

congruous1631

fitten1642

responsal1647

appropriated1651

adapt1658

mack-like1672

squared1698

homogeneous1708

applicable1711

unforeign1718

fitted1736

congenial1738

assorted1790

accommodatable1874

OK1925

α.

1925 R. W. Lardner You know me Al ii. 73 See if you can find me a house down there... That yellow house across from you would be O.K.

1989 Which? Oct. 471/2 The MMC [= Monopolies and Mergers Commission] also said that it's OK for the card companies to charge annual fees to cardholders.

1995 Maxim July 40/2 It's perceived to be OK for a woman to show her feelings, but a man can be just as distressed yet have to keep that macho stiff upper lip.

2000 Independent 31 Jan. ii. 7/1 She [sc. a chicken] saw the ducks on the village green and naturally assumed it was OK for her to wander around.

β. 1955 P. Chayefsky Television Plays 230 Eddie's a bachelor. It's okay for him to go rooting around town, picking up girls.1967 H. Harrison in Best of Harry Harrison (1980) 131 ‘There are some things that the human eye should not look upon.’ ‘Horseapples! The human eye is okay for looking at anything you want to name.’1990 Village Voice (N.Y.) 16 Oct. 35/4 It's okay for girls to boy up, even butch up, as long as they don't own up to liking other girls.2000 Out Mar. 142/1 Pre-AIDS, it was okay for the No Wavers to avoid pink triangles. But that's touchy post-gay territory now.

5. Of a person: comfortable, at ease, content, satisfied; reasonable, understanding. Usually with about, with.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > calmness > [adjective] > untroubled

untormentedc1374

unstrainedc1400

unscourgedc1412

quietc1460

untroubled1484

secure1545

unstricken1548

unplagued1549

unoppressed1559

incurious1570

secure1578

undistressed1582

unclouded1598

unpangeda1625

indisturbed1664

unpained1667

ungrieved1676

smooth1757

unhaunted1818

unteased1843

unfazed1855

all serene1856

unfussed1907

unthrown1959

OK1978

α.

1997 in J. E. Lighter Hist. Dict. Amer. Slang II. 709/1 Are you OK with that?

1999 in D. Bolger Ladies' Night at Finbar's Hotel 10 ‘Listen,’ she tried again, more gently, ‘are you sure you're OK about this?’

2002 N.Y. Times 6 Jan. ix. 7/1 Mr. Diamon's 15-year-old son, Jeff, said that he was pretty much O.K. with his dad's snowboarding.

β. 1978 Washington Post 30 Jan. d6/5 Even what they [sc. Europeans] have for breakfast is pretty much the same. They feel okay anywhere here. Close to home. It's not the same for the Americans. It's like being in a submarine or up in a balloon.1980 Sojourner (Nexis) 30 Apr. 5 We need to be able to work together and still make each other feel okay about our personal choices.1990 E. J. Chopich & M. Paul Healing your Aloneness i. i. 6 This is neediness—needing others to make us feel okay about ourselves.1994 J. Kelman How Late it Was 131 It was the same guy as yesterday and he was good and okay about it.

B. int.¹

a. Expressing assent, concession, or approval, esp. with regard to a previous statement or question: yes, all right.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > quality of being satisfactory > [interjection]

fine1828

OK1839

orright1874

oke1929

okey-dokey1932

okey-doke1934

okle-dokle1947

the mind > language > statement > assent > [interjection]

right1594

do1601

sure1651

all right1814

OK1839

ryebuck1859

yassuh1871

achcha1892

righto1893

same here1896

quaiss kitir1898

check1922

righty-ho1926

oke1929

okey-dokey1932

okey-doke1934

okle-dokle1947

cool1948

seen1973

aight1993

α.

1839 Evening Tattler (N.Y.) 2 Sept. 2/2 These ‘wise men from the East’..are right..to play at bowls with us as long as we are willing to set ourselves up, like skittles, to be knocked down for their amusement and emolument. OK! all correct!

1839 Philadelphia Gaz. 12 Nov. 2/1 Yes—that's good—O.K.—I.S.B.D. [= it shall be done].

1840 Boston (Mass.) Daily Times 15 Dec. 2/3 What is't that ails the people, Joe? They're in a kurious way, For every where I chance to go, There's nothing but O.K.

1853 F. Townsend Fun & Earnest 14 To the earnest inquiries of another, he simply respondeth, O.K.

1866 Notes & Queries 18 Aug. 128/2 The following telegram has been received from Mr. R. A. Glass..‘O.K.’, (all correct).

1930 L. Charteris Last Hero v. 91 ‘I'll come with you.’ ‘OK,’ said the Saint.

1932 H. Nicolson Public Faces i. 8 ‘O.K.,’ he had said, ‘I'll remind old Peabottle.’.. The expression ‘O.K.’ was not one which should be used in the Foreign Office, and least of all by an Assistant Private Secretary.

1939 Times 24 Oct. 4/5 ‘O.K.’ is an abbreviation of the expression ‘Orl korrec’—all correct. It is English, I think Cockney—not an Americanism. I was born in the sixties and remember it when I was a boy.

1941 ‘N. Blake’ Case of Abominable Snowman xviii. 201 O.K. I'll report developments, if any.

1957 J. Montgomery Twenties xviii. 262 By mid-1929, when sound films had spread across Britain, there was hardly a town or village without some child who was saying ‘O.K.’ when previously he would have said ‘Yes’.

1976 Publishers Weekly 12 Jan. 52/2 The older dog asks if Pepper will allow him to go along for awhile and Pepper says ok.

1991 J. Barnes Talking it Over xii. 182 OK, I'm sorry. You just got on my wick.

β. 1929 J. P. McEvoy Hollywood Girl ix. 147 Jimmy (dashing out door): I'll kill the son of a——Girl (going back to kitchenette): Okay, big boy.1934 J. O'Hara Appointment in Samarra vi. 158 Okay. No skin off my ass.1976 J. Wainwright Bastard ii. 35 He nods and says, ‘Okay. Point taken.’1993 M. Flynn In Country of Blind 408 Bosworth flushed. ‘Okay,’ he said petulantly.

b. Ugandan English. OK please: used to express assent, concession, or approval, esp. with regard to a previous statement, question, or request: ‘yes’, ‘all right’, ‘ok’. [Apparently after Luganda bambi bambi adv.]

ΚΠ

2007 New Vision (Uganda) 10 May 23/2 O.K then is our way of saying everything is alright. Equally popular, is ‘ok please’. Are we trying to be polite here? Your guess is as good as mine.

2020 @bismarckerisah 31 Aug. in twitter.com (accessed 29 Oct. 2020) [In response to We greatly appreciate the alert dear customer, team has been notified to fix this.] Ok please, thanks for the response.

a. Appended as an interrogative to a clause, phrase, etc., in expectation of agreement or approval.

ΚΠ

α.

1929 E. Wilson Diary in L. Edel Twenties (1975) 514 O.K., all right?

1933 K. Nicholson & C. Robinson Sailor, Beware! 142 That's eighty bucks altogether..OK?

1976 Sunday Times 16 May 42 When George Davis stepped out of Parkhurst prison last week few headline writers could resist the temptation. George Davis is free OK? (the Sun), George Davis is free—but is it OK? (the Guardian).

1976 Observer 13 June 1/5 He added belligerently: ‘I don't want to answer no more questions, OK? No disrespect to the court.’

1999 J. Burchill Married Alive i. 16 Mother, I didn't say ‘fuck’, I said ‘frig’, OK?

β. 1965 J. Wainwright Web of Silence 34 This is a gun—and it's silenced. Okay?1978 H. Selby Requiem for Dream 147 You start laying guilt trips on me and I don't need it, okay?1991 S. Cisneros Woman Hollering Creek 14 Your Barbie is roommates with my Barbie, and my Barbie's boyfriend comes over and your Barbie steals him, okay?

b. British. —— rules OK!: asserting the pre-eminence of a specified person or thing. Also with plural agreement —— rule OK!

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > mastery or superiority > [phrase] > affirmation of superiority of specific group

—— rules OK!1972

society > communication > writing > written text > an inscription > [phrase] > specific graffiti

—— rules OK!1972

α.

1972 Guardian 12 July 1 In Leeds the name of Gipton is well known from the wall slogan: ‘Gipton Skins Rule OK’.

1974 Times 29 Apr. 16/8 An abundant football graffitti: Spurs (or Wolves or whoever) Rule—OK?

1976 Punch 11 Feb. (recto front cover) Harold rules—OK?

1976 Sunday Express 4 July 6/3 He kept going on and on: ‘..there are certain standards to be maintained in first-class compartments.’.. And when he left the train..he gave..a look which said: ‘First Class Rules—O.K.?’

1977 Times 26 Apr. 8/4 The popular graffiti—Rules-OK, which originated amongst the Glasgow razor gangs of the thirties.

1981 Times 31 June 1/1 It is a case of the tobacco industry rules, OK.

1994 Clothes Show Mag. May 46/1 (caption) Team with bobby socks and sandals—schoolgirl chic rules OK!

2002 Time Out N.Y. 29 Aug. 36 (caption) Fop punk rules OK. Electroclash? Ambient dub-bag house? Yesterday's news!

β. 1975 S. Jacobson in New Society 27 Mar. 780 (title) Chelsea rule—okay.1977 J. Gardner Werewolf Trace i. 17 ‘James Bond rules. Okay?’ chuckled Bud, sashaying the car neatly between a pair of taxis.1991 M. Curtin Plastic Tomato Cutter xxi. 173 You black English protestant, you've fuckall chance tonight against me medal. Rome Rules okay.

3. Introducing an utterance or as a conversational filler, typically without affirmative or concessive force, but rather as a means of drawing attention to what the speaker is about to say: well, so, right.

ΚΠ

α.

1933 Daily Mirror 7 Nov. 13/2 Just look around amongst your friends and colleagues who are constantly using such phrases as ‘Oh yeah?’, ‘You're tellin' me?’, ‘O.K. baby’, and see if I am not right!

1976 Beano 17 Jan. 20/3 OK! Let's have your names!..Have mercy, officer! We're innocent.

1994 Denver Post 2 Jan. h5/4 OK, all you technoids. Think you're up on the latest and greatest in personal computing?

β. 1942 in Best from Yank (1945) 64 Okay, boys! Off and on! Hit the deck!1966 D. M. Thomas in Listener 17 Feb. 247/1 Okay, my starsick beauty!.. Where would you like to go?1994 Q. Tarantino & R. Avary Pulp Fiction iv. 160 Okay, gentlemen, you've both been to County before, I'm sure.

C. n.²

An indication of approval; an endorsement, authorization. Frequently in to give the OK (to).In early use chiefly with reference to the marking of a document, etc., with the letters ‘OK’.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > [noun] > mark of

OK1841

frank1876

α.

1841 ‘Dow, Jr.’ Short Patent Serm. 106 Fortitude..infuses new life into his soul, while Hope adds an O.K. to his condition.

1896 Congress. Rec. 5 Mar. 2507/1 The deputy marshall..would send word to the prosecuting attorney asking for an ‘O.K.’

1901 S. Merwin & H. K. Webster Calumet ‘K’ xiv. 273 A formal permit..signed by Porter himself, and bearing the O.K. of the general manager.

1930 Liberty 11 Oct. 30/3 Rube copped a sneak on the joint to find out if it was ready. In twenty minutes he gives us the O.K.

1956 Rev. Eng. Stud. 7 440 It is Pound who is to give the O.K. to the gods (not to God).

1961 L. Mumford City in Hist. xvii. 535 The fifth vice-president whose name or O.K. sets the final seal of responsibility upon an action.

1988 A. Bennett Talking Heads 30 The sermon was about sex... Marriage gives the OK to sex was the gist of it.

β. 1925 G. Ade Let. 28 Mar. (1973) 104 If, while he was putting his okeh on this material, he privately disapproved of it and was sending word back east that the material was not what you wanted, of course he was putting me in a tough position.1931 N. Amer. Rev. Jan. 15/2 During the last two years Raskob has either put his okay on every major move that Jouett Shouse has made, or else suggested it himself in the first place.1973 Freedomways 13 18 Nothing goes down without his okay.1991 Bostonia June 20/1 Do you know how long it takes for those goddamn pen-pushers to give us the okay?

D. adv.

Satisfactorily, acceptably.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > quality of being satisfactory > [adverb]

wellOE

sufficientlyc1380

acceptably1479

competently1541

somewhat like1593

tant bien que mal1765

bearably1784

unobjectionably1797

fairly1836

decently1846

OK1886

α.

1886 Lantern (New Orleans) 29 Sept. 3/2 Favetto umpired the game all O.K.

1886 Daily News 16 Oct. 5/5 Leastways we ought for to know it O.K., we are told it frequent enough.

1922 J. Reith Diary 14 Dec. (1975) ii. 128 He said..that if things went OK I should get a rise soon.

1989 T. Parker Place called Bird xi. 143 We did OK and it was a good life.

β. 1972 Publishers Weekly 6 Mar. 31/2 He says most of that magazine's ex-staffers have done ‘okay’ in re-adjusting.1974 ‘E. Lathen’ Sweet & Low xix. 185 He got through a third degree okay.1985 T. Parks Tongues of Flame i. 40 I did okay in all the sciences and terrible in the arts.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	ok
释义	O.K.n.¹int.² Brit. /ˌəʊˈkeɪ/, U.S. /ˌoʊˈkeɪ/ Inflections: Plural O.K.'s. Origin: From a proper name. Etymon: proper name O K. Etymology: < the initial letters of Old Kinderhook, the nickname of Martin Van Buren (1782–1862), president of the United States (1837–41) ( < old adj. + Kinderhook , the name of Van Buren's hometown in New York State), after OK adj. and OK int.¹ Compare Old Hickory n. at old adj. Compounds 4.The use as an interjection is purely as an electoral slogan and rapidly comes to overlap with OK int.¹ This assimilation is especially clear late in 1840, during the election proper, when the slogan is used to signal success in a particular locality (see quots. 1840² at sense B., 1840² at sense B.), although the process had begun within a few weeks of the appearance of the initials:1840 Democratic Republican New Era (N.Y.) 27 May 2/6 We acknowledge the receipt of a very pretty gold Pin,..having upon it the (to the ‘Whigs’) very frightful letters O.K., significant of the birth-place of Martin Van Buren, old Kinderhook, as also the rallying word of the Democracy of the late election, ‘all correct’... Those who wear them should bear in mind that it will require their most strenuous exertions..to make all things O.K. Allen W. Read argues that the widespread use of the slogan was critical in popularizing the original, usual sense of OK (see Amer. Speech (1963) 38 83–102). U.S. Politics. Now historical and rare. A. n.¹ 1. Old Kinderhook, a nickname for Martin Van Buren, United States president and the Democratic presidential candidate, during the election of 1840. Chiefly attributive in O.K. Club n. a group in the Democratic Party's central organization in New York which campaigned vigorously for Van Buren during this election; cf. Tammany n. ΘΚΠ society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > a or the government > head of government > [noun] > in a republic > in U.S. > specific U.S. presidents favorite son1788 Old Hickory1815 O.K.1840 tycoon1861 1840 Democratic Republican New Era (N.Y.) 23 Mar. 3/2 (advt.) The Democratic O.K. Club are hereby ordered to meet at the House of Jacob Colvin. 1840 Daily National Intelligencer (Washington) 7 Apr. Already the Locofocos have got out their banners and procession, and ‘the Butt-enders’ and ‘Point-enders’ are marching at night through our streets, led by the so-called ‘O.K.’ club, which is just now a cant phrase in Tammany. 1840 Democratic Republican New Era (N.Y.) 2 Nov. 3/5 (heading) O.K. Old Kinderhook. New York's Favorite Son. 1975 Amer. Speech 50 333 A group of Democrats formed the O.K. Club in March..and undoubtedly enjoyed the interest aroused by their secret initials. 2. A Democratic campaigner in New York during the presidential election of 1840; a member of the O.K. Club. ΘΚΠ society > authority > rule or government > politics > American politics > [noun] > Democratic Party > member or adherent of > of branch of loco-foco1835 loco1838 O.K.1840 hard1843 softshell1845 barn-burner1848 hardshell1852 soft1853 softshell1853 Bourbon1859 short-hairs1867 New Dem1962 Blue Dog1995 1840 Morning Herald (N.Y.) 30 Mar. 2/1 The O.K.'s are now the most original and learned locofoco club of the day. 1840 Morning Herald (N.Y.) 4 Apr. 2/1 All the clubs of Buttenders, O.K.'s, N.C.'s, [etc.]. 1840 Brother Jonathan 10 Oct. 4/6 They drove their assailants back—and some of the O.K.'s falling for shelter on the New Era office, there was, for a half hour or so, a chance for a more serious row. 1963 A. W. Read in Amer. Speech 38 96 The O.K.'s played a part in the disturbance that took place. †B. int.² temporary. Used as an election slogan by the Democratic Party (originally in New York) in the presidential election of 1840. Obsolete.Merging almost immediately with OK int.¹; see etymological note above. ΘΚΠ society > authority > rule or government > politics > American politics > [phrase] > specific slogans Young America1838 O.K.1840 America First1915 1840 Newark Daily Advertiser 28 Mar. 2/4 The war cry of the locofocos was O.K., the two letters paraded at the head of an inflammatory article in the New Era of the morning. ‘Down with the whigs, boys, O.K.’ was the shout of these poor, deluded men. 1840 Democratic Republican New Era (N.Y.) 18 Aug. 2/6 Illinois. O.K. The Democracy of this State have achieved a most signal victory. 1840 Rough-hewer (Albany, N.Y.) 24 Sept. 253/1 We rise to conquer—Coeymans O.K. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022). OKadj.int.¹n.²adv. Brit. /ˌəʊˈkeɪ/, U.S. /ˌoʊˈkeɪ/ Forms: α. 1800s– O.K., 1800s– OK, 1800s– o.k., 1900s– ok. β. 1800s– okay, 1900s– okeh, 1900s– okey. Origin: Apparently formed within English, as an initialism. Etymon: English oll korrect. Etymology: Apparently < the initial letters of oll korrect (also orl korrect), humorous alteration of all correct: see A. W. Read in Amer. Speech (1963) 38, (1964) 39, etc.From the detailed evidence provided by A. W. Read it seems clear that O.K. first appeared in 1839 (an instance of a contemporary vogue for humorous abbreviations of this type), and that in 1840 it became greatly reinforced by association with the initialism O.K. n.¹, O.K. int.² (see discussion at that entry). Other suggestions, e.g. that O.K . represents an alleged Choctaw word oke ‘it is’ (actually the affirmative verbal suffix -okii ‘indeed, contrary to your supposition’), or French au quai , or Scottish English och aye , or that it derives from a word in the West African language Wolof via slaves in the southern States of America, all lack any form of acceptable documentation. Competing theories as to the origin of the expression have been in evidence almost since its first appearance; compare:1840 Lexington Intelligencer 9 Oct. 3/2 O.K. Perhaps no two letters have ever been made the initials of as many words as O.K... When first used they were said to mean Out of Kash, (cash;) more recently they have been made to stand for Oll Korrect, Oll Koming, Oll Konfirmed, &c. &c. It is not clear whether the ok of the following quotation represents the same expression:1815 W. Richardson Diary 21 Feb. (1938) 4 Arrived at Princeton, a handsome little village, 15 miles from N Brunswick, ok & at Trenton, where we dined. In form okeh (as used by Dr Woodrow Wilson: see quot. 1919 at sense A. 1β. ) on the understanding that the word represents an alleged Choctaw word oke (see above). colloquial (originally U.S.). A. adj. 1. All correct, all right; satisfactory, good; well, in good health or order. In early use, occasionally more intensively: outstanding, excellent. Now frequently in somewhat weakened sense: adequate, acceptable. OK by (someone): fine by (a person), acceptable to (a person). Chiefly predicative. ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > quality of being satisfactory > [adjective] wellOE sufferablea1340 worthy1340 sufficient1489 paregala1500 competent1535 something like?1556 right1567 sweet1577 fairish1611 all right1652 fair1656 comfortable1658 decent1711 respectable1750 unrepulsive1787 decentisha1814 fair-to-middling1822 fine1828 christena1838 OK1839 tidy1844 not (or none) so dusty?1856 sweet1898 oke1928 okey-doke1934 okey-dokey1936 tickety-boo1939 cool1951 aight1993 the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > quality of being satisfactory > [adjective] > highly satisfactory OK1839 hunky-dory1866 (all) Sir Garnet1894 kayo1923 hotsy-totsy1924 oojah-cum-spiff1930 patsy1930 not shabby1975 alpha minus1989 α. 1839 C. G. Greene in Boston Morning Post 23 Mar. 2/2 He..would have the ‘contribution box’, et ceteras, o.k.—all correct—and cause the corks to fly, like sparks, upward. 1839 Salem Gaz. 12 Apr. 2/3 The house was O.K. at the last concert, and did credit to the musical taste of the young ladies and gents. 1839 Boston Evening Transcript 11 Oct. 2/3 Our Bank Directors have not thought it worth their while to call a meeting, even for consultation, on the subject. It is O.K. (all correct) in this quarter. 1840 Atlas (Boston) 19 Aug. 2/4 These initials, according to Jack Downing, were first used by Gen. Jackson. ‘Those papers, Amos [Kendall], are all correct. I have marked them O.K.’ (oll korrect). The Gen. was never good at spelling. 1840 Morning Herald (N.Y.) 21 Apr. 2/4 The Brigadier..reviewed his Brigade..and pronounced every thing O.K. 1843 J. S. Robb Streaks Squatter Life 72 His express reported himself.., assured Allen that all was O.K., and received his dollar. 1864 Boy's Own Mag. Nov. 450/1 No thought of taking the trouble to find out whether the order was O.K., or ‘orl korrect’, as Sir William Curtis phrased it. 1865 W. H. Russell Atlantic Telegr. 61 The communication with shore continued to improve, and was, in the language of telegraphers, O.K. 1874 E. S. Phelps Trotty's Wedding Tour xiii. 133 We had an O.K. time till we went to bed. 1894 C. H. W. Donovan With Wilson in Matabeleland xi. 253 As our American friends would say, we were still ‘O.K.’ 1900 Law Times 10 Nov. 35/2 The State Court seems to have decided that when a lawyer marks such a decree O.K., he is, by so doing, estopped from questioning that decree by appeal. 1908 C. E. Mulford Orphan xiii. 160 He's an O.K. dog, that's what he is. 1922 D. H. Lawrence England my England 101 At first Joe thought the job O.K. 1928 Z. N. Hurston Let. 15 Oct. in Life in Lett. (2002) 127 Things are ok by me. How is it with you? 1937 D. L. Sayers Busman's Honeymoon viii. 148 ‘I say, Mr. Superintendent, are you going to want me any more? I've got to get back to Town.’ ‘That's O.K. We've got your address.’ 1940 ‘N. Blake’ Malice in Wonderland i. ii. 20 Anything that was efficiently organised was O.K. by Paul Perry. 1959 F. Astaire Steps in Time (1960) viii. 66 Some were outstanding—this one was not, but it was o.k. 1977 Zigzag June 31/1 We could have had a great album, rather than an OK album. 1983 B. Willis & A. Lee Captain's Diary vi. 111 I lay there in something of a trance,..just praying that I will be OK to bowl tomorrow. 2000 M. Barrowcliffe Girlfriend 44 xi. 297 Talking until the greasy spoons open is OK by me, if I'm with a group of blokes, but it seems rather a waste of resources when with such a pretty girl. β. 1895 Bulletin (Sydney) 9 Feb. 15 I'm ryebuck and the girl's okay.1919 H. L. Mencken Amer. Lang. 161 Dr. Woodrow Wilson is said..to use okeh in endorsing government papers.1932 Sunday Express 3 July 9/6 I had given my hand to the comedian and heard him say: ‘Hold on, baby... Hold on. It's okay. You're going to be fine.’1934 N. Sainsbury Gridiron Grit xii. 142 Okay by me.1953 J. Y. Cousteau Silent World 91 Tailliez came up and reported, ‘Everything okay. They're playing chess.’1979 Washington Post 25 Dec. b1/3 A lot of what we get is coming out of guilt, idealism and pity of suburban people, and I suppose that's okay. But it is better if the giving comes out of a relationship.1989 Japan Times 21 May 3/6 He looks good, stable... He will be okay.2000 Feng Shui for Mod. Living May 63/1 Let's take three restaurants in a short parade of shops, all pretty unprepossessing, all have okay chefs..okay menus..okay decor. 2. Fashionable, modish; prestigious, high-class. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > fashionableness > [adjective] in (also into) request?1574 bonfacion1584 fashional?1607 of request1613 fashionablea1627 à la mode1642 all the mode1651 modish1661 in mode1664 timeish1676 of vogue1678 voguea1695 mody1701 alamodic1753 much the mode1767 tonish1778 go1784 stylish1800 bang-up1810 tippy1810 varmint1823 up to the knocker1844 gyvera1866 OK1869 fly1879 swagger1879 doggy1885 faddy1885 fantoosh1920 voguish1927 voguey1928 à la page1930 go1937 hard1938 hip1939 down1952 swinging1958 a-go-go1960 way-in1960 yé-yé1960 trendy1962 with-it1962 go-go1963 happening1965 mod1965 funky1967 together1968 fash1977 cred1987 α. 1869 Henry De Marson's New Singer's Jrnl. xxxv. 246 The Stilton, sir, the cheese, the O.K. thing to do, On Sunday afternoon, is to toddle in the Zoo. 1899 R. Whiteing No. 5 John St. xxiii. 233 She objected to the parting of the ass's mane as ‘too O.K. for a moke’. 1950 S. Potter Some Notes Lifemanship i. 30 The word ‘diathesis’..is now on the O.K. list for conversationmen. 1950 S. Potter Some Notes Lifemanship v. 78 Just as there are O.K.-words in conversationship, so there are O.K.-people to mention in Newstatesmanship. 1958 Spectator 19 Sept. 360/3 Mr. Macmillan ended his letter by saying we must treat this crisis ‘calmly and constructively’. Both these are very OK words just now. 1963 Listener 17 Jan. 140/3 In an eminently ‘Third Programme’ talk..he drew a comparison between this opera and his recent King Priam which was bedevilled by O.K. names and words. 1973 Times Lit. Suppl. 8 June 650/5 Handy quotations from such OK literary luminaries as Macaulay, Nietzsche, Strindberg, [etc.]. 1983 P. Fussell Class v. 97 You used to booze a lot on expensive hard liquor, a habit mastered at a socially OK college. β. 1958 Observer 7 Sept. 13/4 Being in fusion is the really okay thing now.1966 New Statesman 11 Mar. 348/1 The writer's ideas are rooted deep in the soil of experience and have not been processed into pet ideas and okay-words before they have ripened.1970 G. Greer Female Eunuch 159 His secretary had..moved out of Haight Ashbury when it ceased to be okay to live there.1976 New Society 1 Jan. 5/1 In spite of the levelling effect of package holidays, skiing is still an okay sport. A survey..showed that British skiers were more likely to be upper middle class abs living in the prosperous southern counties. 3. Of a person: decent, trustworthy; congenial. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > love > liking or favourable regard > [adjective] > likeable or agreeable likewurtheeOE likeworthyc1175 lovablea1400 likesomea1565 likeable1653 simpatico1844 OK1871 adorable1908 personable1953 α. 1871 J. H. Banka State Prison Life iv. 61 I say, boys, let up on that feller. I had a chat with him to-day, and he's all O.K. 1914 R. W. Lardner in Sat. Evening Post 23 May 62/3 I am going with Allen and his wife and her sister Florence. She is O.K. Al and I guess she thinks the same about me. 1935 W. Faulkner Pylon 95 I don't know the guy. But the two I did know were o.k. 1992 Drew Mag. Winter 15/2 I grew up with the value system that if you're doing something for other people, then you're OK. 1999 F. McCourt 'Tis xvi. 124 Thanks, Hans. You're an OK kraut. β. 1962 A. La Guma Walk in Night i. 5 ‘He's okay,’ Foxy told him. ‘Mikey's a pal of ours.’1989 R. Kenan Visitation of Spirits 161 The tall basketball players and the large football players joked around him and considered him one of the fellows. An okay dude.2000 Punch (Nassau, Bahamas) 11 Dec. 17/1 Sometimes he bugs me so much I feel like screaming, but other times he is an okay guy. 4. Appropriate, suitable; permissible, allowed. Frequently with for. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > suitability or appropriateness > [adjective] goodeOE rightOE queemlOE belonglOE behovingc1175 limplyc1200 tidefula1300 avenantc1300 mackc1330 worthy1340 hemea1350 convenientc1374 seemlya1375 shapelyc1374 ablea1382 cordant1382 meetc1385 accordable1386 accordinga1387 appurtenantc1386 pertinentc1390 accordanta1393 likea1393 setea1400 throa1400 agreeablec1425 habilec1425 suitly1426 competentc1430 suiting1431 fitc1440 proportionablec1443 justc1450 congruent?a1475 cordinga1475 congruec1475 afferant1480 belonging1483 cordable1485 hovable1508 attainanta1513 accommodate1525 agreeing1533 respondent1533 opportunate?1541 appropriate1544 commode1549 familiar1553 apt1563 pliant1565 liable1570 sortly1570 competible1586 sortable1586 fitty1589 accommodable1592 congruable1603 affining1606 feated1606 suity1607 reputable1611 suited1613 idoneousa1615 matchable1614 suitablea1616 congruous1631 fitten1642 responsal1647 appropriated1651 adapt1658 mack-like1672 squared1698 homogeneous1708 applicable1711 unforeign1718 fitted1736 congenial1738 assorted1790 accommodatable1874 OK1925 α. 1925 R. W. Lardner You know me Al ii. 73 See if you can find me a house down there... That yellow house across from you would be O.K. 1989 Which? Oct. 471/2 The MMC [= Monopolies and Mergers Commission] also said that it's OK for the card companies to charge annual fees to cardholders. 1995 Maxim July 40/2 It's perceived to be OK for a woman to show her feelings, but a man can be just as distressed yet have to keep that macho stiff upper lip. 2000 Independent 31 Jan. ii. 7/1 She [sc. a chicken] saw the ducks on the village green and naturally assumed it was OK for her to wander around. β. 1955 P. Chayefsky Television Plays 230 Eddie's a bachelor. It's okay for him to go rooting around town, picking up girls.1967 H. Harrison in Best of Harry Harrison (1980) 131 ‘There are some things that the human eye should not look upon.’ ‘Horseapples! The human eye is okay for looking at anything you want to name.’1990 Village Voice (N.Y.) 16 Oct. 35/4 It's okay for girls to boy up, even butch up, as long as they don't own up to liking other girls.2000 Out Mar. 142/1 Pre-AIDS, it was okay for the No Wavers to avoid pink triangles. But that's touchy post-gay territory now. 5. Of a person: comfortable, at ease, content, satisfied; reasonable, understanding. Usually with about, with. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > calmness > [adjective] > untroubled untormentedc1374 unstrainedc1400 unscourgedc1412 quietc1460 untroubled1484 secure1545 unstricken1548 unplagued1549 unoppressed1559 incurious1570 secure1578 undistressed1582 unclouded1598 unpangeda1625 indisturbed1664 unpained1667 ungrieved1676 smooth1757 unhaunted1818 unteased1843 unfazed1855 all serene1856 unfussed1907 unthrown1959 OK1978 α. 1997 in J. E. Lighter Hist. Dict. Amer. Slang II. 709/1 Are you OK with that? 1999 in D. Bolger Ladies' Night at Finbar's Hotel 10 ‘Listen,’ she tried again, more gently, ‘are you sure you're OK about this?’ 2002 N.Y. Times 6 Jan. ix. 7/1 Mr. Diamon's 15-year-old son, Jeff, said that he was pretty much O.K. with his dad's snowboarding. β. 1978 Washington Post 30 Jan. d6/5 Even what they [sc. Europeans] have for breakfast is pretty much the same. They feel okay anywhere here. Close to home. It's not the same for the Americans. It's like being in a submarine or up in a balloon.1980 Sojourner (Nexis) 30 Apr. 5 We need to be able to work together and still make each other feel okay about our personal choices.1990 E. J. Chopich & M. Paul Healing your Aloneness i. i. 6 This is neediness—needing others to make us feel okay about ourselves.1994 J. Kelman How Late it Was 131 It was the same guy as yesterday and he was good and okay about it. B. int.¹ 1. a. Expressing assent, concession, or approval, esp. with regard to a previous statement or question: yes, all right. ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > quality of being satisfactory > [interjection] fine1828 OK1839 orright1874 oke1929 okey-dokey1932 okey-doke1934 okle-dokle1947 the mind > language > statement > assent > [interjection] right1594 do1601 sure1651 all right1814 OK1839 ryebuck1859 yassuh1871 achcha1892 righto1893 same here1896 quaiss kitir1898 check1922 righty-ho1926 oke1929 okey-dokey1932 okey-doke1934 okle-dokle1947 cool1948 seen1973 aight1993 α. 1839 Evening Tattler (N.Y.) 2 Sept. 2/2 These ‘wise men from the East’..are right..to play at bowls with us as long as we are willing to set ourselves up, like skittles, to be knocked down for their amusement and emolument. OK! all correct! 1839 Philadelphia Gaz. 12 Nov. 2/1 Yes—that's good—O.K.—I.S.B.D. [= it shall be done]. 1840 Boston (Mass.) Daily Times 15 Dec. 2/3 What is't that ails the people, Joe? They're in a kurious way, For every where I chance to go, There's nothing but O.K. 1853 F. Townsend Fun & Earnest 14 To the earnest inquiries of another, he simply respondeth, O.K. 1866 Notes & Queries 18 Aug. 128/2 The following telegram has been received from Mr. R. A. Glass..‘O.K.’, (all correct). 1930 L. Charteris Last Hero v. 91 ‘I'll come with you.’ ‘OK,’ said the Saint. 1932 H. Nicolson Public Faces i. 8 ‘O.K.,’ he had said, ‘I'll remind old Peabottle.’.. The expression ‘O.K.’ was not one which should be used in the Foreign Office, and least of all by an Assistant Private Secretary. 1939 Times 24 Oct. 4/5 ‘O.K.’ is an abbreviation of the expression ‘Orl korrec’—all correct. It is English, I think Cockney—not an Americanism. I was born in the sixties and remember it when I was a boy. 1941 ‘N. Blake’ Case of Abominable Snowman xviii. 201 O.K. I'll report developments, if any. 1957 J. Montgomery Twenties xviii. 262 By mid-1929, when sound films had spread across Britain, there was hardly a town or village without some child who was saying ‘O.K.’ when previously he would have said ‘Yes’. 1976 Publishers Weekly 12 Jan. 52/2 The older dog asks if Pepper will allow him to go along for awhile and Pepper says ok. 1991 J. Barnes Talking it Over xii. 182 OK, I'm sorry. You just got on my wick. β. 1929 J. P. McEvoy Hollywood Girl ix. 147 Jimmy (dashing out door): I'll kill the son of a——Girl (going back to kitchenette): Okay, big boy.1934 J. O'Hara Appointment in Samarra vi. 158 Okay. No skin off my ass.1976 J. Wainwright Bastard ii. 35 He nods and says, ‘Okay. Point taken.’1993 M. Flynn In Country of Blind 408 Bosworth flushed. ‘Okay,’ he said petulantly. b. Ugandan English. OK please: used to express assent, concession, or approval, esp. with regard to a previous statement, question, or request: ‘yes’, ‘all right’, ‘ok’. [Apparently after Luganda bambi bambi adv.] ΚΠ 2007 New Vision (Uganda) 10 May 23/2 O.K then is our way of saying everything is alright. Equally popular, is ‘ok please’. Are we trying to be polite here? Your guess is as good as mine. 2020 @bismarckerisah 31 Aug. in twitter.com (accessed 29 Oct. 2020) [In response to We greatly appreciate the alert dear customer, team has been notified to fix this.] Ok please, thanks for the response. 2. a. Appended as an interrogative to a clause, phrase, etc., in expectation of agreement or approval. ΚΠ α. 1929 E. Wilson Diary in L. Edel Twenties (1975) 514 O.K., all right? 1933 K. Nicholson & C. Robinson Sailor, Beware! 142 That's eighty bucks altogether..OK? 1976 Sunday Times 16 May 42 When George Davis stepped out of Parkhurst prison last week few headline writers could resist the temptation. George Davis is free OK? (the Sun), George Davis is free—but is it OK? (the Guardian). 1976 Observer 13 June 1/5 He added belligerently: ‘I don't want to answer no more questions, OK? No disrespect to the court.’ 1999 J. Burchill Married Alive i. 16 Mother, I didn't say ‘fuck’, I said ‘frig’, OK? β. 1965 J. Wainwright Web of Silence 34 This is a gun—and it's silenced. Okay?1978 H. Selby Requiem for Dream 147 You start laying guilt trips on me and I don't need it, okay?1991 S. Cisneros Woman Hollering Creek 14 Your Barbie is roommates with my Barbie, and my Barbie's boyfriend comes over and your Barbie steals him, okay? b. British. —— rules OK!: asserting the pre-eminence of a specified person or thing. Also with plural agreement —— rule OK! ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > mastery or superiority > [phrase] > affirmation of superiority of specific group —— rules OK!1972 society > communication > writing > written text > an inscription > [phrase] > specific graffiti —— rules OK!1972 α. 1972 Guardian 12 July 1 In Leeds the name of Gipton is well known from the wall slogan: ‘Gipton Skins Rule OK’. 1974 Times 29 Apr. 16/8 An abundant football graffitti: Spurs (or Wolves or whoever) Rule—OK? 1976 Punch 11 Feb. (recto front cover) Harold rules—OK? 1976 Sunday Express 4 July 6/3 He kept going on and on: ‘..there are certain standards to be maintained in first-class compartments.’.. And when he left the train..he gave..a look which said: ‘First Class Rules—O.K.?’ 1977 Times 26 Apr. 8/4 The popular graffiti—Rules-OK, which originated amongst the Glasgow razor gangs of the thirties. 1981 Times 31 June 1/1 It is a case of the tobacco industry rules, OK. 1994 Clothes Show Mag. May 46/1 (caption) Team with bobby socks and sandals—schoolgirl chic rules OK! 2002 Time Out N.Y. 29 Aug. 36 (caption) Fop punk rules OK. Electroclash? Ambient dub-bag house? Yesterday's news! β. 1975 S. Jacobson in New Society 27 Mar. 780 (title) Chelsea rule—okay.1977 J. Gardner Werewolf Trace i. 17 ‘James Bond rules. Okay?’ chuckled Bud, sashaying the car neatly between a pair of taxis.1991 M. Curtin Plastic Tomato Cutter xxi. 173 You black English protestant, you've fuckall chance tonight against me medal. Rome Rules okay. 3. Introducing an utterance or as a conversational filler, typically without affirmative or concessive force, but rather as a means of drawing attention to what the speaker is about to say: well, so, right. ΚΠ α. 1933 Daily Mirror 7 Nov. 13/2 Just look around amongst your friends and colleagues who are constantly using such phrases as ‘Oh yeah?’, ‘You're tellin' me?’, ‘O.K. baby’, and see if I am not right! 1976 Beano 17 Jan. 20/3 OK! Let's have your names!..Have mercy, officer! We're innocent. 1994 Denver Post 2 Jan. h5/4 OK, all you technoids. Think you're up on the latest and greatest in personal computing? β. 1942 in Best from Yank (1945) 64 Okay, boys! Off and on! Hit the deck!1966 D. M. Thomas in Listener 17 Feb. 247/1 Okay, my starsick beauty!.. Where would you like to go?1994 Q. Tarantino & R. Avary Pulp Fiction iv. 160 Okay, gentlemen, you've both been to County before, I'm sure. C. n.² An indication of approval; an endorsement, authorization. Frequently in to give the OK (to).In early use chiefly with reference to the marking of a document, etc., with the letters ‘OK’. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > [noun] > mark of OK1841 frank1876 α. 1841 ‘Dow, Jr.’ Short Patent Serm. 106 Fortitude..infuses new life into his soul, while Hope adds an O.K. to his condition. 1896 Congress. Rec. 5 Mar. 2507/1 The deputy marshall..would send word to the prosecuting attorney asking for an ‘O.K.’ 1901 S. Merwin & H. K. Webster Calumet ‘K’ xiv. 273 A formal permit..signed by Porter himself, and bearing the O.K. of the general manager. 1930 Liberty 11 Oct. 30/3 Rube copped a sneak on the joint to find out if it was ready. In twenty minutes he gives us the O.K. 1956 Rev. Eng. Stud. 7 440 It is Pound who is to give the O.K. to the gods (not to God). 1961 L. Mumford City in Hist. xvii. 535 The fifth vice-president whose name or O.K. sets the final seal of responsibility upon an action. 1988 A. Bennett Talking Heads 30 The sermon was about sex... Marriage gives the OK to sex was the gist of it. β. 1925 G. Ade Let. 28 Mar. (1973) 104 If, while he was putting his okeh on this material, he privately disapproved of it and was sending word back east that the material was not what you wanted, of course he was putting me in a tough position.1931 N. Amer. Rev. Jan. 15/2 During the last two years Raskob has either put his okay on every major move that Jouett Shouse has made, or else suggested it himself in the first place.1973 Freedomways 13 18 Nothing goes down without his okay.1991 Bostonia June 20/1 Do you know how long it takes for those goddamn pen-pushers to give us the okay? D. adv. Satisfactorily, acceptably. ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > quality of being satisfactory > [adverb] wellOE sufficientlyc1380 acceptably1479 competently1541 somewhat like1593 tant bien que mal1765 bearably1784 unobjectionably1797 fairly1836 decently1846 OK1886 α. 1886 Lantern (New Orleans) 29 Sept. 3/2 Favetto umpired the game all O.K. 1886 Daily News 16 Oct. 5/5 Leastways we ought for to know it O.K., we are told it frequent enough. 1922 J. Reith Diary 14 Dec. (1975) ii. 128 He said..that if things went OK I should get a rise soon. 1989 T. Parker Place called Bird xi. 143 We did OK and it was a good life. β. 1972 Publishers Weekly 6 Mar. 31/2 He says most of that magazine's ex-staffers have done ‘okay’ in re-adjusting.1974 ‘E. Lathen’ Sweet & Low xix. 185 He got through a third degree okay.1985 T. Parks Tongues of Flame i. 40 I did okay in all the sciences and terrible in the arts. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online June 2022). OKv. Brit. /ˌəʊˈkeɪ/, U.S. /ˌoʊˈkeɪ/ Inflections: Present participle OK'ing, OKing; past tense and past participle OK'ed, OK-ed, OKed; Forms: α. 1800s– O.K., 1800s– O.K.'d (past tense and past participle), 1900s– OK, 1900s– O.K.ing (present participle), 1900s– O.K.'ing (present participle). β. 1900s– okay, 1900s– okeh. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: OK adj., int.¹, n.², and adv. Etymology: < OK adj., int.¹, n.², and adv. transitive. To endorse, esp. by marking with the letters ‘OK’; to approve, agree to, sanction, or pass. Frequently in past participle. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > approve of, accept, or sanction [verb (transitive)] > by marking with letters OK OK1882 α. 1882 Testimony Sessinghaus vs. Frost (U.S. House, 47th Congr., 1st Sess.) Misc. Doc. No. 27. iii. 2705 I..O.K.'d a great many myself... We went to a house, we found the parties were living there, and O.K.'d the cards. 1888 Missouri Republican 25 Jan. 10/4 The expression, ‘Please O.K. and hurry return of my account,’ is grammatically correct. The noun account is governed by the preposition of, and is also the object of the active transitive verb O.K. 1891 Congress. Rec. 13 Feb. 2635/2 If those who were to go into the clerical service of the Government were to be ‘O.K.'d’ by any one except the Civil Service Commission. 1898 H. E. Hamblen Gen. Manager's Story 82 He hunted the hook over until he found the 227's report signed, Grinnell, O.K'd., and signed by the man who had done the work. 1923 J. Galsworthy Captures 192 He finished pencilling, O.K.'d the sheets,..and went back to his room. 1942 E. Paul Narrow Street xxvii. 238 Of course, he [sc. Petain] had not counted on having the decrees he signed dictated by a German Führer, or at least O.K.'d when their hearts beat exactly as one. 1973 P. Dickinson Gift v. 76 ‘OK, OK,’ said Mr Venn soothingly... ‘But you know quite well head office wouldn't OK it... I'm not going to risk it.’ ‘OK,’ said Mr Palozzi. 1996 USA Today 15 Nov. a7/2 The move must be OK'd by President Clinton and Congress. β. 1930 Amer. Speech 6 119 Parachute company stock sale okehed.1938 Times 18 Jan. 13/4 The proposal to call this haunt of pleasure the ‘Non-stop Journal Kino’ was taken to the Supreme Court before being—as the delighted proprietor probably put it—okayed.1947 People 22 June 5/3 Micky and ex-light-weight champion Dave Crowley did the same fight 25 times before the final take was okayed.1968 Listener 5 Dec. 771/1 Okayed by Western governments, the Prague festival enjoyed a substantial dollar bonus in the form of the Illinois State University Jazz Band.1974 Times 22 Feb. 19/4 Scripts Limited comes in after the screenwriter has been commissioned by a film company, has written his first draft and had it okayed.1988 S. Deshpande That Long Silence iii. 118 He wanted a scapegoat in case things went wrong, so it was I who had to okay all that substandard stuff.1992 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 6 Aug. (Business Suppl.) 8/2 In addition to okaying two applications to provide long-distance service.., the CRTC opened entry to any would-be rival. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.¹int.²1840adj.int.¹n.²adv.1839v.1882
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O.K.n.1int.2

OKadj.int.1n.2adv.

OKv.

O.K.n.¹int.²

OKadj.int.¹n.²adv.