# What did people say before "okay" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 26, 2011, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347 "2011-05-26T20:24:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CheeseDonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@CheeseDonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheeseDonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347/1 "2011-05-26T20:24:24Z")
Before okay entered common usage, what did people commonly say to denote “approval, acceptance, assent, or acknowledgment”? (I lifted that phrase from Wikipedia, hence the quotation marks) ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347/2 "2011-05-26T20:26:37Z")
“All right.” “Certainly.” “I agree” or “Agreed.” “Surely.” “Indeed.” And of course… “Yes.” ---
**Author:** ![CheeseDonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@CheeseDonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheeseDonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347/3 "2011-05-26T20:28:51Z")
> [@choie](#): > > “All right.” > “Certainly.” > “I agree” or “Agreed.” > “Surely.” > “Indeed.” > > And of course… > > “Yes.” But was there a single go-to word, like “okay,” that people used before “okay” became popular? ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347/4 "2011-05-26T20:31:57Z")
> [@CheeseDonkey](#): > > But was there a single go-to word, like “okay,” that people used before “okay” became popular? Aye. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347/5 "2011-05-26T20:36:32Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > Aye. Yup. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347/6 "2011-05-26T20:55:22Z")
I believe it was “Okely-Dokely”. mmm ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347/7 "2011-05-26T20:58:31Z")
“That’s a fact, Jack!” ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347/8 "2011-05-26T21:01:02Z")
Yer dern tootin’! ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347/9 "2011-05-26T21:02:55Z")
In sooth. Verily. Most assuredly. Yea. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347/10 "2011-05-26T21:13:26Z")
True dat ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347/11 "2011-05-26T21:16:26Z")
As you wish ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347/12 "2011-05-26T21:21:17Z")
Yah, sure, you betcha! ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347/13 "2011-05-26T21:23:34Z")
Right you are, then. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347/14 "2011-05-26T21:27:46Z")
Is there anything “ok” does that “all right” doesn’t? (Particularly given that “ok” is supposed to have come from “oll korrect” [is that still the accepted etymology? It sounds so crazy…], which is almost the same phrase as “all right”) ---
**Author:** ![Canyon\_Surfer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Canyon\_Surfer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canyon_Surfer)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347/15 "2011-05-26T21:34:08Z")
Righty-Oh ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347/16 "2011-05-26T21:42:44Z")
At Renaissance Faire language classes, we’re told to substitute “Well enough” (Prononuced “Well Enow”) for “OK.” ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347/17 "2011-05-26T22:00:50Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > At Renaissance Faire language classes, we’re told to substitute “Well enough” (Prononuced “Well Enow”) for “OK.” That sounds etymologically backwards to me. The reason that gh sounds like an F is because the CH was hard to say. Surely it should be “Well Enowch” (CH means , German lo **ch** ) ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347/18 "2011-05-26T22:10:56Z")
> **[Enow Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/enow)** > > Enow definition, enough. See more. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347/19 "2011-05-26T22:54:35Z")
“Word.” ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347/20 "2011-05-27T00:05:02Z")
> [@CheeseDonkey](#): > > But was there a single go-to word, like “okay,” that people used before “okay” became popular? There isn’t a single go-to word today, is there? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-say-before-okay/583347.md?page=2)