Is Ok is really O.K.?
By Jekca
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
Centralia, Missouri
January 8, 2016 11:00am CST
So mylotters, I had a tech say something interesting today. He mentioned that OK/O.K. stood for Old Kinderhook. This is apparently a nicknameme for Van Buren, who was up for re-election in 1840. His, I guess, campaign club called themselves the OK Club, playing all oll correct (all correct, all ok, all good), and his nickname. Now this information I obtained after a very short hit and miss sort of Google search, so I don’t know how correct it is.
Does anyone know, is it O.K.? Is that really what it stands for?
25 people like this
22 responses
@cindiowens (5120)
• North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
8 Jan 16
I thought OK was Oklahoma, lol.
5 people like this
@GardenGerty (157652)
• United States
8 Jan 16
It sure is Y'all! I am from OK, but live in KS now.
2 people like this
@Orson_Kart (6118)
• United Kingdom
9 Jan 16
Does the wind still come sweeping down the plain?
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
9 Jan 16
well technically that one is deff true!
1 person likes this
@Orson_Kart (6118)
• United Kingdom
9 Jan 16
I think we in the UK tend to use OK more than okay nowadays. Always capital letters though, but don't ask me why! 
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
9 Jan 16
that's the feeling I was getting from the little I had time to read
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
8 Jan 16
@Marilynda1225 Most Canadians us K as a way to mark themselves out from Americans.
@AbbyGreenhill (45496)
• United States
8 Jan 16
Proper grammar here is to spell is okay. OK is like slang.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (79936)
• United States
8 Jan 16
@pgiblett when I see K it's usually in text from someone shortening the ok
1 person likes this
@Drosophila (16573)
• Ireland
8 Jan 16
I know that saying originated US.. and no idea of the how.
Though I always suspected it stand for "Oh Kosher!"
2 people like this
@Orson_Kart (6118)
• United Kingdom
9 Jan 16
How do you know it originated in the US? I have been using it most of my life and thought it was a British saying. Saying that, most of ours is derived from French, Greek or Latin. Hmmmm
2 people like this
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
9 Jan 16
Oye Krackers! Kind of like awe man, shoot, well rats....mwhahahaha
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (79936)
• United States
8 Jan 16
I always thought that ok was just a short version for okay
2 people like this
@andriaperry (116860)
• Anniston, Alabama
8 Jan 16
I have no idea so I will say "okay."
3 people like this
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
9 Jan 16
so you are saying you are ok with okay? mwhahaha
@GardenGerty (157652)
• United States
8 Jan 16
I had to read it for myself. Here is the best answer on Yahoo Answers.
For those who do not want to read briefly in the 1830's and 1840's people would do their own version of text speak. They would comically mis spell stuff, then would use the abbreviations. O. K. for Oll Korrect seems to be the only one that stuck, because it was useful. Then yes, Van Buren borrowed it for his campaign because he was called Old Kinderhook. (his hometown) OK came before the phonetic spelling "okay".
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
9 Jan 16
or we could just pretend to be talking about Oklahoma. lol
@GardenGerty (157652)
• United States
8 Jan 16
I will get back to you on that. I am always glad to have something new and interesting to search. Okay?
1 person likes this
@mommaj (23112)
• United States
9 Jan 16
@Jessicalynnt In all serious, I do remember someone else who used the ok campaign. I may have to look it up. I am thinking it was in the mid 1900s. It will be awhile before I get back to you though. HAHA
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
12 Jan 16
I am no longer sure I do, lol
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45496)
• United States
8 Jan 16
I just did a quick search and came up with the same info.
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45496)
• United States
9 Jan 16
@Jessicalynnt Let's assume it's correct...its a good story either way.
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
9 Jan 16
but nothing concrete? Everything seemed kinda, well maybe this but maybe that
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
9 Jan 16
crazy how we use stuff like that, and never really think about what it means or how it means what it means anyways
@ram9523 (55)
• Bangalore, India
9 Jan 16
@Jessicalynnt,I have seen it spelled 'Okay.' Someone told me,it means 'all correct.'If so,then why it's not 'oc?'
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
9 Jan 16
I believe correct maybe was once spelled korrect? not really sure
@Orson_Kart (6118)
• United Kingdom
9 Jan 16
My understanding is that OK is an abbreviation of okay. I don't know where okay originated. Likewise okey dokey, which I prefer as it is much more jovial. 
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
9 Jan 16
I did read that as well, and that may be the truth of it. I don't know
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
9 Jan 16
I thought OK was okay, like yuppers, yes, I agree, yup, indeed, lol.
