Skip to content

Ok: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Ok: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word Hardcover - 2010 - 1st Edition

by Allan Metcalf


From the publisher

It is said to be the most frequently spoken (or typed) word on the planet, more common than an infant's first word ma or the ever-present beverage Coke. It was even the first word spoken on the moon. It is "OK"--the most ubiquitous and invisible of American expressions, one used countless times every day. Yet few of us know the hidden history of OK--how it was coined, what it stood for, and the amazing extent of its influence. Allan Metcalf, a renowned popular writer on language, here traces the evolution of America's most popular word, writing with brevity and wit, and ranging across American history with colorful portraits of the nooks and crannies in which OK survived and prospered. He describes how OK was born as a lame joke in a newspaper article in 1839--used as a supposedly humorous abbreviation for "oll korrect" (ie, "all correct")--but should have died a quick death, as most clever coinages do. But OK was swept along in a nineteenth-century fad for abbreviations, was appropriated by a presidential campaign (one of the candidates being called "Old Kinderhook"), and finally was picked up by operators of the telegraph. Over the next century and a half, it established a firm toehold in the American lexicon, and eventually became embedded in pop culture, from the "I'm OK, You're OK" of 1970's transactional analysis, to Ned Flanders' absurd "Okeley Dokeley!" Indeed, OK became emblematic of a uniquely American attitude, and is one of our most successful global exports. "An appealing and informative history of OK."
--Washington Post Book World "After reading Metcalf's book, it's easy to accept his claim that OK is 'America's greatest word.'"
--Erin McKean, Boston Globe "Entertaininga treat for logophiles."
--Kirkus Reviews "Metcalf makes you acutely aware of how ubiquitous and vital the word has become."
--Jeremy McCarter, Newsweek

Details

  • Title Ok: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word
  • Author Allan Metcalf
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition number 1st
  • Edition 1
  • Pages 224
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Oxford University Press, USA, NY
  • Date 2010-11-09
  • ISBN 9780195377934 / 0195377931
  • Weight 0.63 lbs (0.29 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.25 x 5.31 x 0.79 in (18.42 x 13.49 x 2.01 cm)
  • Themes
    • Interdisciplinary Studies: Pop Culture
  • Library of Congress subjects Americanisms, English language - Usage
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2010009709
  • Dewey Decimal Code 427.973

Media reviews

Citations

  • Choice, 04/01/2011, Page 0
  • Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/01/2010, Page 18
  • New York Times Book Review, 11/21/2010, Page 9
  • Newsweek, 11/08/2010, Page 55

About the author


Allan Metcalf is Professor of English at MacMurray College and Executive Secretary of the American Dialect Society. He is the author of many other books on language, including most recently Presidential Voices: Speaking Styles from George Washington to George W. Bush (2004). He participates in the "Lingua Franca" blog of the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

Ok: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word

Ok: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word

by Metcalf, Allan

  • Used
  • very good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780195377934
ISBN 10
0195377931
Quantity Available
4
Seller
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 2 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.63
$10.94 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Hardback. Very Good.
Item Price
$5.63
$10.94 shipping to USA
Ok : The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Ok : The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word

by Metcalf, Allan

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9780195377934
ISBN 10
0195377931
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$7.09
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Oxford University Press, Incorporated. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$7.09
FREE shipping to USA
Ok : The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Ok : The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word

by Metcalf, Allan

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9780195377934
ISBN 10
0195377931
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$7.09
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Oxford University Press, Incorporated. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$7.09
FREE shipping to USA
Ok : The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Ok : The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word

by Metcalf, Allan

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 13
9780195377934
ISBN 10
0195377931
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$7.21
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Oxford University Press, Incorporated. Used - Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
$7.21
FREE shipping to USA
Ok : The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Ok : The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word

by Metcalf, Allan

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9780195377934
ISBN 10
0195377931
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$7.24
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Oxford University Press, Incorporated. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$7.24
FREE shipping to USA
OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word

by Allan Metcalf

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used: Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780195377934
ISBN 10
0195377931
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$8.14
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Oxford University Press, USA, 2010-11-09. Hardcover. Used: Good.
Item Price
$8.14
FREE shipping to USA
Ok : The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word

Ok : The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word

by Allan Metcalf

  • Used
  • very good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780195377934
ISBN 10
0195377931
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$8.39
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2010. Hardcover. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$8.39
FREE shipping to USA
Ok : The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word

Ok : The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word

by Allan Metcalf

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780195377934
ISBN 10
0195377931
Quantity Available
3
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$8.39
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2010. Hardcover. Good. Disclaimer:Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$8.39
FREE shipping to USA
Ok : The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word

Ok : The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word

by Allan Metcalf

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780195377934
ISBN 10
0195377931
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$8.39
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2010. Hardcover. Good. Disclaimer:Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$8.39
FREE shipping to USA
OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word

by Metcalf, Allan

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
Used - Fine copy in fine dust jacket
Edition
1st
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780195377934
ISBN 10
0195377931
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Pittsford, New York, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$10.00
$4.00 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Oxford: Oxford University Press. Fine copy in fine dust jacket. 2010. 1st. hardcover. 8vo, 210 pp. .
Item Price
$10.00
$4.00 shipping to USA