That should be "'OK' Day", of course. An "OK Day" would be a so-so,
not-bad day. This one is about the word.

23 March 1839, Boston Morning Post -- first known appearance of the word
(in the form "o.k."), standing for "all correct".

Allen Walker Read, etymologist and lexicographer, clarified its origins
in a fashion for whimsical eye-dialect abbreviations among American wits
of the early 19th century, and put to rest several other theories of its
origin that had been proposed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Walker_Read
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OK

Who thought it needed a "Day"all to itself?
Allan Metcalf, who wrote a book about it (2011).

Ar an tríú lá is fiche de mí Márta, scríobh Ross Clark:

> That should be "'OK' Day", of course. An "OK Day" would be a so-so, not-bad
> day. This one is about the word.
>
> 23 March 1839, Boston Morning Post -- first known appearance of the word (in
> the form "o.k."), standing for "all correct".

As impressive as soccer in its worldwide reach; I wonder was that the earlies
US cultural export with as wide a reach?

--
‘As I sat looking up at the Guinness ad, I could never figure out /
How your man stayed up on the surfboard after fourteen pints of stout’
(C. Moore)

On 2024-03-24, Aidan Kehoe <kehoea@parhasard.net> wrote:

> > 23 March 1839, Boston Morning Post -- first known appearance of the word (in
> > the form "o.k."), standing for "all correct".
>
> As impressive as soccer in its worldwide reach; I wonder was that the earlies
> US cultural export with as wide a reach?

FWIW, both "okay" and "Coca-Cola" entered the Duden (German spelling
dictionary) in 1954.

I'd like to nominate the mythic Wild West as the earliest American
cultural export that went global, although its spread beyond North
America and Europe may postdate WWII again, I don't know.

--
Christian "naddy" Weisgerber naddy@mips.inka.de

Ar an ceathrú lá is fiche de mí Márta, scríobh Christian Weisgerber:

> [...] I'd like to nominate the mythic Wild West as the earliest American
> cultural export that went global, although its spread beyond North America
> and Europe may postdate WWII again, I don't know.

Jack London was massively popular in Russia in his lifetime, though I can’t see
any comment about contemporary popularity in the Spanish and
Portuguese-speaking New World in the corresponding Wikipedias. As I understand
it, Karl May wasn’t hugely read outside of Europe, though he was huge within
Europe.

--
‘As I sat looking up at the Guinness ad, I could never figure out /
How your man stayed up on the surfboard after fourteen pints of stout’
(C. Moore)

On 2024-03-26 09:45:16 +0000, Aidan Kehoe said:

> Ar an ceathrú lá is fiche de mí Márta, scríobh Christian Weisgerber:
>
> > [...] I'd like to nominate the mythic Wild West as the earliest American
> > cultural export that went global, although its spread beyond North America
> > and Europe may postdate WWII again, I don't know.
>
> Jack London was massively popular in Russia in his lifetime,

and well after his death. When went to Russia on a school trip in 1961
he seemed to bethe only modern writer in English that most Russians had
heard of.

> though I can’t see
> any comment about contemporary popularity in the Spanish and
> Portuguese-speaking New World in the corresponding Wikipedias. As I understand
> it, Karl May wasn’t hugely read outside of Europe, though he was huge within
> Europe.

--
Athel -- French and British, living in Marseilles for 37 years; mainly
in England until 1987.