The first recorded use of OK was in the spring of 1839 by the Boston Morning Post:
(23 March) He of the Journal...would have the 'contribution box,' et ceteras, o.k.--all correct--and cause the corks to fly, like sparks, upward.
(26 March) Had the pleasure of taking these 'interesting strangers' by the hand, and wishing them a speedy passage to the Commercial Emporium, They were o.k.
(10 April) It is hardly necessary to say to those who know Mr. Hughes, that his establishment will be found to be 'A. No. One'--that is, O.K.--all correct.
By July of that year, the term spread south to New York, and quickly gained wide acceptance:
(27 July, Evening Tattler) These 'wise men from the East'...are right...to play at bowls with us as long as we are willing to set ourselves up, like skittles, to be knocked down for their amusement and emolument. OK! all correct!
The next year, 1840, New York Democrats formed an organization called the OK Club. The name of the club stood for Old Kinderhook as Martin Van Buren was running for reelection that year. Since the term was in use prior to the formation of the OK Club, it seems likely that the name of the club was due in part due to the phrase, not vice versa. The activities of the OK Club, however, undoubtedly contributed to the popularity of OK even if not providing the origin.
The variant A-OK first appeared during NASA's Mercury program of the 1960s. It may be a combination of A-One with OK. Tom Wolfe in The Right Stuff, however, claims that it was originally used by Shorty Powers, the "Voice of Mercury Control," in radio transmissions because the "A" sound cut through static better than the "O".
(Sources: Allen Walker Read's American Speech articles; Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition; NASA Lunar Surface Journal)
2006-11-16 16:35:27
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answer #1
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answered by Jake 3
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It depends on whom you are writing for. Some publications use OK. Others use okay. Others use something else. You need to ask.
This is just an outside possibility, but OK is also the state abbreviation for Oklahoma.
2006-11-17 01:56:40
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answer #2
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answered by Madame M 7
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okay.
"Okay is a term of approval or assent, often written as OK, O.K., ok, okay, okee, or more informally as simply kay, k or kk."
"The historical record shows that "O.K." appeared as an abbreviation for oll korrect (a conscious misspelling of "all correct") in Boston newspapers in 1839, and was reinterpreted as "Old Kinderhook" in the 1840 United States presidential election."
2006-11-17 00:43:45
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answer #3
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answered by Mike J 5
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okay
2006-11-17 00:33:09
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answer #4
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answered by the_fatmanwalksalone 4
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okay
2006-11-17 00:33:05
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answer #5
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answered by Anonymous
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it is okay, ok?
2006-11-17 02:35:23
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answer #6
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answered by Shadow 3
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