m'kay
Language: English
Part of speech: intj
Pronunciation: ipa: /mːˈkeɪ/
ipa: [ŋˈkeɪ]
rhymes: -eɪ
Forms: form: mkay
form: mmkay
form: mm-kay
form: mmmkay
form: mmm-kay
form: mmk
form: mk
Etymology: Nasalized variant of okay. Perhaps popularized by Mr. Mackey's catchphrase in South Park; earlier, apparently chiefly in linguistic transcriptions of speech.
Senses: examples: text: In these tutoring sessions we have found that, when the tutor agrees with the student’s displayed understanding, her signal of confirmation comes quickly after the student’s turn, as in:
S. Mkay.
hh. And I know it’s negative, just to follow your thought process, because I know that the sine is positive.
ref: 1991, Barbara A. Fox, “Cognitive and Interactional Aspects of Correction in Tutoring,” in Teaching Knowledge and Intelligent Tutoring, Peter Goodyear ed. http://print.google.com/print?hl=en&id=I36Zzj7B7pgC&pg=PA154&lpg=PA154&sig=ZZYBrtCu62xusRHVxW0AAjsisuQ
roman: T. Mhm
text: … the director would go on only when both were satisfied the matcher had understood, as here:
D. The long view of the quad uh walkway
M. those
M. ┌ numbers right?
D. └ is number 5
M. Mkay
D. Yeah with the numbers on the bottom.
ref: 1993, Herbert H Clark, Arenas of Language Use http://print.google.com/print?hl=en&id=iRlL1nmsB-4C&pg=PA284&lpg=PA284&sig=MzayaXWqjqReOg6XyNY2ES7Ycn4
text: 1995, Charles Conrad and Lucinda Sinclair-James, “Institutional Pressures, Cultural Constraints, and Communication in Community Mediation Organizations,” in Conflict and Organizations, Anne Maydan Nicotera ed.
M1: Mkay. Let me point us back to. This is related to um what we were talking about and how you’re going to um sort of report what happened here tonight.
text: My bold, Crocodile Hunter “Absolutely” withered into “mkay” with the end of the word lilted up like a desperate question.
ref: 2004, Gordon Atkinson, RealLivePreacher.com http://print.google.com/print?hl=en&id=txlWQXzOIukC&pg=PA34&lpg=PA34&sig=xzYsGkjZNOFHeKU7vnfoysmeOH0
text: That has nothing to do with star-power crap and everything to do with keeping it real, mkay?
ref: 2004, Deanna Kizis, How to Meet Cute Boys http://print.google.com/print?hl=en&id=QAu5foUdyEkC&pg=PA80&lpg=PA80&sig=oNcYAAFSGryL3NbegfxWLHkDy8M
glosses: Okay; an expression of acknowledgment or affirmation, now sometimes used in an ironic or condescending sense.
spelling mkay
examples: text: C: I want you to re:st (.) re:st (.) as much as you can do (.) is just re:st (.) hhh when >you go< home (.) >you tell< your husband you make dinner honey (.) hhh you take care of me (.) . . . I need >to set< down (.) I need >to rest< (.)
P: mmkay (.)
C: and >get down< (.) watch your sodium (.) the salt=
ref: 1997: Christina S. Beck, Partnership for Health (dead link)
text: well i used to have some skilled sticky fingers of my own back in the day so i know a shoplifted dress when i see one mmkay.
ref: 2004, Abbe Diaz, PX This (dead link)
text: I looked back to him...mmkay brown hair dark eyes...high cheek bones that lucky monkey I wonder if he has some native American.
ref: 2005, Catherine Delaney, The Rosameorns (dead link)
text: She was sitting perched on her desk, in that nonchalant, ‘mmkay?’ way teachers do when they’re trying to pretend they’re down with the kids.
ref: 2005, Jenny Colgan, Boy I Loved Before (dead link)
glosses: Okay; an expression of acknowledgment or affirmation, now sometimes used in an ironic or condescending sense.
spelling mmkay
examples: text: 1999, “It's Easy, MMMKay.” [title, in soundtrack] South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
text: Let’s get all this straight. He took me to a place he hates to see if I like it. Mmmkay.
ref: 2004, Victoria Schmitz, If It’s Not One Thing It’s the Other http://print.google.com/print?hl=en&id=lFcLqmFytiMC&pg=PA27&lpg=PA27&sig=H_Qm7nTzqEzS470vfocV9c74reI
text: 2004, Stephanie Lehmann, Are You in the Mood http://print.google.com/print?hl=en&id=ECabx9_RoXAC&pg=PA49&lpg=PA49&sig=pW9_uvNdBOBHc__4hwhYzAfhRWs
He told her she could sleep in if she liked. “Mmmkay,” she said without opening her eyes, and he kissed her good-bye.
glosses: Okay; an expression of acknowledgment or affirmation, now sometimes used in an ironic or condescending sense.
spelling mmmkay
examples: text: I’ll tell you a secret if you promise not to tell anybody, not even the missus, m’kay?
ref: 1999, Tom Bradley, Black Class Cur http://print.google.com/print?hl=en&id=Fdo3ky2yq-sC&pg=PA179&lpg=PA179&sig=PGLARdInWR86z9kI3MQaQKe5G9s
roman: “M’kay.”
text: But do keep in mind that this film [viz. South Park] is not for the faint of heart, and it ain’t for kids, m’kay?
ref: 2003, Bill Hunt and Todd Doogan, The Digital Bits: Insider’s Guide to DVD http://print.google.com/print?hl=en&id=ZPvgA1QU1BMC&pg=PA294&lpg=PA294&sig=hJv3zSuA9sriREBxGXxi7ZevcuQ
glosses: Okay; an expression of acknowledgment or affirmation, now sometimes used in an ironic or condescending sense.
spelling m’kay
examples: text: She didn’t ask what that was supposed to mean, but tallied a while on her fingertips and obliged him.
“Mm-kay, bye.”
ref: 2000, Tom Bradley, Hustling the East http://print.google.com/print?hl=en&id=GYnGE49yhPsC&pg=PA236&lpg=PA236&sig=JIS7zjR3YOAzjIW-jrKuyOrxpQM
text: 2005, Bill Eisele, Scrub Match http://print.google.com/print?hl=en&id=7M31jHxhJawC&pg=PA58&lpg=PA58&sig=no7YkuHLZazkBAuC0ztcd6i9AJI
“All I’m saying,” the Asian man said, “is it’s about time she got a whiff of her own breath. Mm-kay?”
glosses: Okay; an expression of acknowledgment or affirmation, now sometimes used in an ironic or condescending sense.
spelling mm-kay
examples: text: “Well, I’m going to take a picture of your arm and then this nice doctor is going to fix it for you, okay?”
“Mmm-kay.”
ref: 2005, Michael Collins, Hot Lights, Cold Steel:
glosses: Okay; an expression of acknowledgment or affirmation, now sometimes used in an ironic or condescending sense.
spelling mmm-kay