Ok what does it stand for

Birds and the bees. And is ok short for okay or okay long for ok? Carol Rapley, Twickenham, England This is generally assumed to be an acronym for 'orl korrect'. Strictly speaking, 'okay' is the American phonicisation of the acronym 'OK', which tends to be borne out when comparing the use of the term in British and American English.

It started as a comical abbreviation during a fad in New England in the s. OK caught on permanently when political supporters of Martin Van Buren - whose nickname was Old Kinderhook - turned it into a pun and popularised it in his successful presidential campaign. After the origin of the phrase had puzzled people for years, Professor Allen Walker Read pulled off one of the great coups of etymology when he tracked this down in the s.

See his obituary in The Guardian, 8 November , for more detail. He would check each item that came to him, and, being a conscientious kind of guy, would stamp his initials on it if it was Whenever he inspected a component, and it passed, he approved it with his "stamp" - OK!

Jon Graham, Worcester, England I heard that in the American Civil War when going back from fighting the soldiers would read on a large blackboard "0k" for zero killed. I'd love to get in touch again. Save This Word! He sings OK, but he can't tap dance. We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Also O. Origin of OK 1 Initials of a facetious folk phonetic spelling, i. The expression was well known in England by the s. Today ok has achieved worldwide recognition and use. According to Read, the handy little abbreviation was perpetuated as the telegraph became more and more prominent, and by the s, it had become the standard way for telegraph operators to acknowledge receiving a transmission. OK: Standard term signifying you are on board with something. Oooookay : A passive-aggressive expression used to signify the imminent escalation of an argument.

Okaaaay: Same as above, but may also signify accepting defeat in said argument, depending on your inflection. A mutated strain of coronavirus could be more contagious than the original one, and mean a vaccine could be useless.