THIS WEEK IN
The expression “O.K.” appears in print for the first time.
“OK” (or “okay” or “O.K.” or “ok”—pick your fighter) is one of the most common words in the English language—and even one of the most recognized words in the world, but it actually started out as a newspaper editor’s joke.
The first known print appearance of the expression “O.K.” was in the March 23, 1839 edition of the Boston Morning Post. It was part of a little joking exchange between one of the editors of that paper and another from the Providence Journal, because apparently that was something newspaper editors had time and space for back then. But here’s the salient moment:
. . . perhaps if he should return to Boston, via Providence, he of the Journal, and his train-band, would have the “contribution box,” et ceteras, o. k.—all correct—and cause the corks to fly, like sparks, upward.
Well . . . ok. “Even if it was not born in a stable, o. k. was anything but great in this first appearance,” writes Allan Metcalf in the definitive book on the subject. “It appeared in lowercase letters, befitting its lowly employment as an attempt at humor (and also not abbreviating a proper noun).” Turns out that people were just as corny in the 19th century as they are now; both deliberate misspellings and snappy initialisms were all the rage—which is how “all correct” became “oll korrect” became “o.k.” Lots of newspaper editors giggled into their coffee cups over that one.
But eventually, of course, we all started arguing over which version of the joke-misspelling was, in fact, the correct joke-misspelling. At least for once, no matter where you land, it’s really gonna be okay.
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