OK 这个词，你每天使用几次？
许多人误以为"okay"才是完整且正规的写法，事实恰恰相反——"okay"是由"OK"演化而来。而最早诞生的"OK"，实则是一个别有用意的“错别字”。
A deliberate misspelling that began as a joke has evolved into "OK", one of the world's most widely recognized words.
图源：bostonmagazine.com
OK 的诞生
关于"OK"的起源众说纷纭，但被多数权威词典认可的开端颇具戏剧性。
时间回溯至 1839 年 3 月 23 日，《波士顿晨报》（Boston Morning Post）首次刊登了"OK"这一缩写。该报编辑在一篇讽刺文章中，故意将"all correct"（一切都好）错拼为"oll korrect"，并取其首字母缩写为"ok"。
The term first appeared in print on March 23, 1839, in the Boston Morning Post, where an editor intentionally misspelt "all correct" as "oll korrect" and shortened it to "ok".
图源：CBS The Morning
当时，受过教育的年轻人群体中流行一种语言游戏：故意拼错单词后进行缩写，并将其作为俚语使用。例如将"oll wright"缩为"OW"，"no go"缩为"NG"。在这一文化背景下，"OK"作为玩笑的产物，逐渐融入大众生活。
OK 的走红
19 世纪俚语层出不穷，唯独"OK"未随时间湮没。其真正走向全球的关键节点，是 1840 年的美国总统大选。
图源：pixel.com
时任总统马丁·范布伦（Martin Van Buren）谋求连任，其昵称"Old Kinderhook"的首字母恰好也是"OK"。支持者顺势成立"OK 俱乐部”，既将其作为竞选口号，又借用了“一切都好”的吉祥寓意。
对手辉格党试图利用"oll korrect"这一错别字梗进行嘲讽，结果适得其反，反而助推了该词的传播。自此，"OK"彻底出圈，成为美国乃至全球最通用的词汇之一。
The expression gained widespread popularity during the US presidential election in 1840.
Supporters of incumbent President Martin Van Buren, nicknamed "Old Kinderhook", adopted "OK" as a campaign slogan. Attempts by political rivals to mock the phrase only helped spread it further, turning a playful typo into one of the world's most enduring expressions.
据在线词源词典 Etymonline 记载，1919 年美国总统伍德罗·威尔逊曾将"OK"拼写为"okeh"。1929 年，"okay"这一拼写形式出现后迅速取代了"okeh"，并沿用至今，成为标准的完整拼写。
Spelt out as okeh, in 1919, by Woodrow Wilson, on assumption that it represented Choctaw okeh "it is so" (a theory which lacks historical documentation); this spelling was ousted quickly by okay after the appearance of that form in 1929.
常用缩写
了解完"OK"的传奇身世，我们继续沿“缩写”这一脉络，盘点几个高频使用的英文缩略语。
BTW: by the way 顺便说一下
用于引入新话题或补充信息。
used to introduce a new subject to be considered or to give further information
I think we've discussed everything we need to — by the way, what time is it?
我想需要讨论的问题我们都讨论了——顺便问一下，几点了？
ASAP: as soon as possible 尽快
表示尽可能快地做某事。
If you do something as soon as possible, you do it as quickly as you can
We need the repairs done ASAP.
我们需要尽快修好。
R.I.P.: rest in peace 愿安息
表达对逝者灵魂安息的祝愿。
said to express the hope that someone's spirit has found peace after death
原为天主教葬礼使用的拉丁语祷词缩写，后成为碑铭中表达对逝者安宁祈愿的常见短语。
GOAT: greatest of all time 史上最佳
用于形容某一领域历史上最杰出的人物、团队或实体。
Greatest of All Time (GOAT) is a term used to describe the best person, team, or entity in a particular field throughout history
My friend said that Ed Sheeran is the GOAT, but I'm not sure I agree.
我朋友认为 Ed Sheeran 是有史以来最棒的歌手，但我并不认同。
来源：外研社