o．K．行!可以!对!好的!

【使用地区】：美国

【释义】：

HL．Mencken called O．K．“the most shining and successful Americanism ever invented．”an Americanism used the world over．Most word authorities believe that O．K．comes from the niekname of Martin Van Buren(1782－1862)，who rose from potboy in a tavern to president of the Uhited States．Van Buren was elected president in 1836．He became an eponym during the campaign of 1840，when he ran for reelection in a tight race against“Tippecanoe and Tyler，too，”General William Henry Harrison，legendary hero who fought against the Indians at Tippecanoe，and Virginian John Tyler．The election of 1840 had brought with it the first Buren with the aristocracy，christened the general the“log cabin and hard cider candidate”and tagged Van Buren“Little Van，the Used Ulp Man，”“King Martin the First，”the“Little Magician，”and several other of the derogatory nicknames he had earned over the years．But“Old Kinderhook，”a title bestowed upon the president from the name of his birthplace in Kinderhook，New York，sounded better to his supporters．To stem the tide somewhat，a group in New York formed the Democratic O．K． Club，taking their initials from“Oid Kinderhook．”These initials，appealing to man’s love of being on the inside of events，became a sort of rallying cry for the Democrats．The battle cry，mysterious to most people，spread rapidly and soon acquired the meaning“all right，correct，”probably because“Old Kinderhook，”or O．K．，was all right to his supporters，even thoughhe eventually lost the election．See also A—O．K．

H． L．Mencken把O．K．这一表达方式称之为“有史以来最典型、最成功的美国英语”。这一表达方式现在全世界人普遍使用。大部分词汇学权威认为，这一表达方式是美国第八任总统Martin Van Buren(1782－1862)的绰号。他原是小酒店的侍者，后来当上了美国总统。Van Buren是1836年当选总统的。1840年，他竞选连任，与William Henry Harrison和弗吉尼亚的John Tyler竞争激烈。Harrison将军在Tippecanoe战役中与印第安人作战，成了传奇英雄。在1840年的这场竞选运动中，Van Buren成了O．K．的代名词。这次竞选运动也开了现代政治竞选运动之先河。Harrison的支持者，为了把Van Buren说成是“贵族统治”，给Harrison取了个绰号，称他为“小木屋和发酵的苹果汁”候选人，而把Van Buren叫做“小矮人，筋疲力尽的人”、“马丁国王一世”、“小魔术师”和其他多个绰号。这些诨名都是在他任总统期间获得的。其中有一个绰号叫Old Kinderhook。

Kinderhook是Van Buren在纽约州的出生地，人们把他出生地的地名取了总统的外号。而在Van Buren的支持者听起来，这个外号更好听。为了多少能顶住反对Van Buren的潮流，他的支持者成立了民主党派的O．K．俱乐部。O．K．取自Old Kinderhook两词的首字母。O．k．这两个字母满足了人们的虚荣心，在旁人眼里，他们好像就是圈子里的人。O．K．也成了民主党集会中高呼的口号。这个战斗的口号，在局外人听起来，颇显得神秘，但很快传布开来，并获得了“行!可以!对!好的!”等意思。也许Old Kinderhook或O．K．在Van Buren支持者听起来很好听，尽管最后Van Buren竞选失败了。参见A—O．K．