The Coolidge examiner., 1932-11-25

n
K6 1 how to say "Yesw Instead they say
kYk@-wzd "O-kay!" 1t has become an almost
ESSEE2AH universally accepted symbol Of as
kN<84EH sent. 1t has also become similar
ly accepted symbol of approval.
When we say anything is "O-kay' (or 20. k
or "Okeh'D mean that it is good or satsfac-
tory. Not only has this triple-spelling, double
meaning expression already become common cur
rency in our language Tor "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 "Okeh" just cut
1t down to ''Oke" (accent on the "o') and any
American will understand at once what you
mean. SO much for the abbreviation OF an ex.
preston so short that further shortening
seems impossible.
AS for the inversion: Consider now the hypo-
thetical of an Englishman coming to an
American with this inquiry: II say, old fellow,
what do you Americans mean when you say
X. or "Oh, that" replies the helpful Amer
lean, is an expression from the prize ring When
a boxer is knocked out, we say the other fellow
wins by X. o." But says the Britisher with
a puzzled look on his face, "rhis was little
boy l heard answering a playmate who had
asked him to come across the street and play
with him. / heard him shout X. Or very plain
ly." ooh, that" replies the American. He
%. X to mean all right or yes. It's pronounced
O-kay. Well, some Of the boys just turn it
around and use X. o.. which is pronounced Kayo
and IL 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-
ical 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 language. Here are
few OF the theories:
l. Olga X. Neviskof 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 f. Gladstone 1t
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. X, penned upon them.
.. 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 of the phonetic letters O. X for the
sake of brevity in indicating that these goods
came from Aux Cages and were therefore of the
best quality.
3. Keokuk a famous chief of the Sac and
Foxe Indians in Iowa. He was afrectionately re-
ferred to by the whites as "Ole Keokukr he
cause he was good Indian" Being unable to
spell his name, he made his signature by using
his initials 20. k and any paper which had his
20. K" was "all right"
4. Back in Civil days Orrin Kendall was
d member of a 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 the initials of 20. 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. h" soon devel
oped into meaning These crackers are all right"
5. In 1910 during the famous 'hard cider and
log cabin" Presidential campaign of Gen. William
Henry Harrison, there was Whig rally at Ur
bana Ohio. which addressed by number of
prominent Wings. including General Harrison
himself The farmers were largely represented at
the gatherings and of them had brought his
farm wagon on which was constructed a plat
form for the accommodation of his neighbors
The farmer was an ardent Whig and wishing to
convey the impression that the farmers gener-
ally were Wings, he hung a banner above the
platform. On the banner were these words "The
farmers is OIL Korrect." There was also hotel
at Springfield Ohio, operated by an ardent Whig
who placed the letters 40 X" over the entrance
explaining that it 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 a commander In the
army, endorsed his papers 20. K" under the i'm