Why Is “OK” a Presidential Abbreviation?
The humble “OK” became a fixture of the American lexicon thanks to 19th-century newspaper culture and a bit of political savvy from a presidential campaign. Several fads were popular among journalists during this time, particularly playful abbreviations and intentional misspellings. These quirks were meant to amuse — there were no
Netflix comedy specials yet, after all — so “no use” turned into “know yuse” and “all right” became “oll wright,” for example. The twisted phrases were also shortened into abbreviations, much to the delight of readers who were in on the bit. So, “know yuse” morphed into “KY” and “oll...
