The Furry Forums

Furry Chat => General => Topic started by: ¿ Jesse Pawman ? on February 19, 2008, 12:30:56 PM

Title: The origins of OK?
Post by: ¿ Jesse Pawman ? on February 19, 2008, 12:30:56 PM
I recently read that the original meaning of "OK" comes out of wars in or with English speaking countries.
If a combat troup comes back from the front without casualties (dead victims), somebody would show a sign to the waiting headquarter from far to indicate that "zero were killed", and on the sign you could read "OK".
Any truth in that?
Title: Re: The origins of OK?
Post by: Pibi on February 19, 2008, 12:48:54 PM
Intrigue topic  :snicker:
In Wikipedia says:
Quote
-The earliest claimed usage of okay is a 1790 court record from Sumner County, Tennessee, USA discovered in 1859 by a Tennessee historian named Albigence Waldo Putnam, in which Andrew Jackson apparently said:
"proved a bill of sale from Hugh McGary to Gasper Mansker, for a Negro man, which was O.K."
Title: Re: The origins of OK?
Post by: WingedZephyr on February 19, 2008, 03:34:32 PM

I recently read that the original meaning of "OK" comes out of wars in or with English speaking countries.
If a combat troup comes back from the front without casualties (dead victims), somebody would show a sign to the waiting headquarter from far to indicate that "zero were killed", and on the sign you could read "OK".
Any truth in that?


I dunno for sure whether it's true or not, but it sounds like it makes sense. Especially since the "OK" hand sign (http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/59/15/23501559.jpg) looks like a zero.
Title: Re: The origins of OK?
Post by: Thaddeus Q. Wolfe on February 19, 2008, 05:22:02 PM
makes sense.  ??? where'd dude come from then?
Title: Re: The origins of OK?
Post by: [D.E.M] zetsumei on February 19, 2008, 05:36:47 PM
both of the suggestions in some of the above comments are reasonable, i have no idea where OK came from, but shouldnt the casualty number be OKIA then? (KIA=Killed In Action)
Title: Re: The origins of OK?
Post by: Thaddeus Q. Wolfe on February 19, 2008, 05:39:36 PM
okia could have been shortened, but how that would have come into common use is a bit obscure.
Title: Re: The origins of OK?
Post by: ephemral on February 20, 2008, 09:17:00 PM
OK-okay or 0k-zero killed?
They likely had similar if not shared origins as it wouldn't have happened over night
and would depend on people doing it for a bit before it became something of itself.
I wouldn't doubt if there were many more uses of it that could count as an origin.