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Subject:Origin of OK From:Michael Blair <mjblair -at- TOTAL -dot- NET> Date:Thu, 30 Apr 1998 08:50:52 -0400
Hi:
I think continuing this thread probably violates the rules of this list,
but here's my contribution.
According to the Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, "most word
authorities believe that O.K. comes from the nickname of Martin Van
Buren.... Old Kinderhook, a title bestowed upon [him during the 1840
presidential election] from the name of his birthplace, Kinderhook, NY."
Van Buren lost but his battle cry lives on. H.L. Mencken called O.K. "the
most shining and successful Americanisms ever invented."
Michael Blair
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