The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1932-11-25

E2SE2NST universally accepted symbol of as
kN<S4NM sent 1t has also become a similar
ly accepted symbol of approval
When say anything is "O-kay" Cor 90 K"
or "Okeh'D we mean that 1t is good or satisfac-
tory. Not only has this triple-spelling, double
meaning expression already become common cur
rency in our language Cor "slanguage," if you
prefer y but it has also already undergone both
abbreviation and inversion without apparently
changing its meaning. If you don't want to take
~ the time to say "O-kay" or "Okehw just cut
it down to "Okew taccent on the "o") and any
American will understand at once what you
mean. So much for the Authorization of an ex.
preston so short that a further shortening
seems impossible.
AS for the inversion: Consider now the hypo-
thetical case of an Englishman coming to an
American with this inquiry: II say, old fellow,
what do you Americans mean when you say
*. OPP "Oh, that! !" replies the helpful Amer
lean, is an expression from the prize ring When
q boxer is knocked out we say the other fellow
wins by K. o." But" says the Britisher with
a puzzled look on his face, "This was a little
boy I heard answering playmate who had
asked him to come across the street and play
with him. 1 heard him shout X. or very plain
ly." "Oh, that!" replies the American. HE
meant All rightp You know use the term
%. K to mean all right or yes. It's pronounced
O-kay Well some of the boys just turn it
and 1t means the same thing. That's clear
enough isn't it? And the baffled Britisher muir
murs "'Strordinary!"
But the Briton is no more baffled by this illog-
zeal example of our illogical everyday American
speech than is the etymologist who tries to run
down the origin of the expression and to deter
mine who put it into our language Here are
few of the theories:
1. Olga X. Neviskoff was a fascinating Rus
sian woman who is believed to have had an i'm
portant influence on English history as a friend
of the famous premier. William E. Gladstone. It
is said that Gladstone used to submit many i'm
portant matters to her for her opinion and these
papers were generally returned to him with her
initials, O. K, penned upon them.
2. In Santo Domingo is the town of Aux Cages
pronounced o-kay) from which, in Colonial
times the best tobacco and rum were imported.
Clerks, it is said, in billing goods to retailers
made use of the phonetic letters o. K. for the
sake of brevity in indicating that these goods
came from Aux Cages and were therefore of the
best quality.
3. Keokuk was famous chief of the Sac and
Foxe Indians in Iowa. He was affectiOnatey re-
ferred to by the whites as "Ole Keokuk' be-
cause he was good Indian" Being unable to
spell his name, he made his signature by using
his initials 80. K" and any paper which had his
20. K" was sail right"
l. Back in Civil war days Orrin Kendall was
a member of battery raised among the Board
of Trade in Chicago. He was also head of the
baking firm of o. Kendall and Sons, which fur
nished bread and crackers for the army. On the
crackers were the initials of 10 K" for Orrin
Kendall. These crackers are said to have been
the only ones the soldiers relished and their ex-
preston "These crackers are o. K" soon devel-
oped into meaning These crackers all right"
log cabin" Presidential campaign of Gen. William
Henry Harrison, there was Wing rally at Dr.
bana, Ohio, which was addressed by a number of
prominent Wings including General Harrison
himself. The farmers were largely represented at
the gatherings and one of them had brought his
farm wagon on which was constructed a plat
form for the accommodation of his neighbors.
The farmer was ardent Wing and, wishing to
convey the impression that the farmers gener-
ally were Wings, he hung banner above the
platform. On the banner were these words 1.-The
farmers is OH Korrect" There was also a hotel
at Springfield, Ohio, operated by an ardent Wing
who placed the letters 10. K" over the entrance,
explaining that 1t meant his hotel was all right,
or ION Korrect'-taking those words from the
banner on the farmers wagon. In this same
campaign Harrison's opponents made much of
his alleged illiteracy and they circulated the
story that Harrison, while commander in the
army, endorsed his papers 20. K" under the i'm
preston that it was the abbreviation for "On
Korrect" his way Of spelling "Al Correct"
6. The origin of 20. K" meaning "all right" is
traced to Andrew Jackson in three different
ways One Of them is this: In the court of rec
ords Of Sumner county, Tennessee, for October
g. 1870, appears the fact that on that date
Andrew Jackson Esq. proved bill of sale from
Hugh McGary to Casper Mansker for negro
man, which was o. K" 1t is said that what APP
peared to be o. K. in the record may really have
been poorly penned o. R.. which was the alb
breviatiOn used for "Ordere1 Recorded" That
such mistake, due to bad penmanship, might