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A-okay

adj
/ˌeɪ.əʊˈkeɪ/UK/ˌeɪ.oʊˈkeɪ/US

Etymology

First attested in 1952 in the US, popularized in the 1960s by John A. Powers as NASA's public affairs officer for Project Mercury: the "voice of Mercury Control". Intensive form of okay, presumably "all [systems] okay".

Definitions

  1. In perfect order

    In perfect order; thoroughly acceptable.

    • 1952, advertisement by Midvac Steels. "The Golden Age of Advertising - the 50s", p. 57, Ed. Jim Heimann, Taschen 2005. A-OK for tomorrow's missile demands.
    • 1970, Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley, Tarkio, "Oh Mommy" It says right there in the constitution, It's really A-okay to have a revolution, When the leaders that you choose Really don't fit their shoes.
    • Any KOA is A-OK as long as I'm with you.

  2. Alternative letter-case form of A-okay.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for A-okay. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA