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cover of episode Why we say ‘OK.’ How tea shaped English slang. Poetry winner

Why we say ‘OK.’ How tea shaped English slang. Poetry winner

2025/3/18
logo of podcast Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
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K
Karen Lundy
M
Mignon Fogarty
S
Salma Amanda Latifa
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Mignon Fogarty: 我是Mignon Fogarty，今天我们来聊聊单词“okay”的起源。它源于对短语“all correct”的缩写，最初由波士顿晨邮报的记者在1839年3月23日使用。之后，马丁·范布伦总统在竞选活动中使用“OK”作为口号，使得它在美国流行起来。现在，“OK”的拼写有两种：OK和OKAY，两种拼写都被认为是正确的。我个人更喜欢使用两个字母的拼写，因为它更符合词语的起源。在创作历史小说时，需要注意每种拼写出现的时间，以保持历史的准确性。 此外，我还想谈谈维多利亚时代关于茶的习语。茶文化在维多利亚时代非常盛行，并催生了许多与茶相关的习语，例如在伦敦东区工人阶级中流行的押韵俚语，以及一些其他的茶相关的习语，例如“high tea”、“not for all the tea in China”等等。这些习语不仅丰富了英语语言，也反映了当时的社会文化。 最后，我还想分享一下国家语法日诗歌大赛的获奖诗歌。获奖者Salma Amanda Latifa用诗歌的形式展现了语言的秩序和美感，这让我对语言有了新的认识。 Karen Lundy: 维多利亚时代，茶文化盛行，并催生了许多与茶相关的习语。其中，伦敦东区工人阶级创造了一种有趣的语言特色——押韵俚语，例如“Rosie Lee”指茶，“teapot lid”指孩子。此外，还有“tea-leafing”（指偷窃），“high tea”（指丰盛的晚餐，而非下午茶），“not for all the tea in China”（指无论如何都不会做某事）等习语。这些习语不仅丰富了英语语言，也反映了当时的社会文化。 Salma Amanda Latifa: 我的诗歌《语言的秩序》描述了名词、动词、形容词和副词在语言中的作用，以及时态和语态。创作这首诗歌时，我想起了我学习语法时遇到的困难，以及后来对语言之美的认识。

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Chapters
This chapter explores the history of the word "OK," from its origins as a misspelling of "all correct" to its adoption as a political campaign slogan and its eventual widespread use. The different spellings and their prevalence are discussed, along with the reasons behind the two-letter spelling's recent dominance.
  • The word "OK" originated as a misspelling of "all correct."
  • March 23rd is officially OK Day.
  • President Martin Van Buren's campaign used "OK" as a slogan, helping to popularize it.
  • The spellings "OK" and "okay" coexist, with "OK" becoming more prevalent in recent years.

Shownotes Transcript

  1. Is it "OK" or "okay"? We look at the surprising history of one of the world’s most recognized English words and how a 19th-century election campaign helped it stick. Then, we have some fun with Victorian tea culture and the many idioms it inspired, from Cockney rhyming slang to "scandal broth."

The "tea" segment is by Karen Lunde, a former Quick & Dirty Tips editor and digital pioneer who's been spinning words into gold since before cat videos ruled the internet. She created one of the first online writing workshops, and she's published thousands of articles on the art of writing. These days, she leads personal narrative writing retreats and helps writers find their voice. Visit her at ChanterelleStoryStudio.com).

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