Hunky Dory

[flirty41]

We all know it means that something is good, or OK, but where did this phrase come from?

[rashah]

A song called "Josephus Orange Blossom", sung by the Christy Minstrels during the Civil War, contained the line "red hot hunky-dory contraband". The tune was a big hit and the phrase became part of the popular slang of the period. I'm not sure where they got "hunky-dory" from, but it seems that was its first use.

[rashah]

The other origin appears to be a derivation of the Dutch word "honk" meaning "goal" or "home". The "dory" bit would then be a bit of reduplication, as in "okey-dokey"

[Quizmonster]

Click http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-hun2.htm for other derivations. Certainly, it was first used in print in 1866.

[flirty41]

Thanks people - very interesting explanations! :-)