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Episode 10

Hunky-Dory

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Expanding Lexicon

Episode 10

 Hunky Dory

5/25/19

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Welcome to Expanding Lexicon the story behind the things we say. Today’s episode is about an American Slang expression (Online Etymology Dictionary).

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             What is today’s topic? Hunky-Dory. This American expression of approval means that everything is satisfactory (Martin). According to disappearing idioms “Hunky dory is a slang term used to describe a situation, event, or condition as just right and good. It is a sunny, happy expression, mostly applied to everyday happenings (disappearing idioms)” Example- How was the movie? It was Hunky Dory. Other American slang terms with similar meaning are ‘Jake’ or copasetic’ (disappearing idioms).

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             The first part of the phrase is thought to come from the dutch term Honk meaning goal, station or home. Think about how home in Tag a satisfactory or safe place (Brewers dictionary of phrase). The work honk and the game of Tag both came with the Dutch to New Amsterdam, later New York. Eventually Honk evolved into Hunk meaning that “one is all right or in a safe or good position (World Wide Words).” Eventually this became Hunkey meaning “fit and healthy” (Martin). The word Hunkey was used in an 1861 civil war song title ‘A Hunkey Boy is Yankee Doodle’ (Martin). A similar phase Hunkum-Bunkum had the same meaning as Hunky-Dory and was used as far back as 1842 (Martin).

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             The furthest back we can trace the phase Hunky Dory is the mid-1800’s. It’s suggested that the phrase was popularized by variety performer Japanese Tommy (disappearing idioms). It’s rumored that he picked up the phrase from American sailors who made it up as a kind of bilingual pun (World Wide Words). Commodore Matthew Perry began trade with Japan in the 1860’s and it was there Yokohama (navy terminology) that American sailors discovered the Main Street or Honcho-dori (Martin). “this street catered to the pleasures of sailors”(Navy Terminology)  It’s possible that the sailors created the new phrase Hunky the American term meaning good and dori Japanese for street to refer to the cities ‘easy street’ home to proprietors of the world’s oldest profession (disappearing idioms).

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By 1862 A song in George Christy’s Essence of Old Kentucky was titled ‘Hunky Dory it went

“One of the boys am I,
That always am in clover;
With spirits light and high,
'Tis well I'm known all over.
I am always to be found,
A singing in my glory;
With your smiling faces round,
'Tis then I'm hunkey dorey” (Martin).

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In June 1866 the ‘Galveston Daily News’ contained an advertisement stating “In the morning wash with Castile soap, in soft rain water, and you are all "Hunky-dore" - as fresh as a lily - as sweet as a pink”(Martin). In more recent history David Bowie’s 1972 album titled ‘Hunky Dory’ contained the hit song ‘Changes’ (disappearing idioms).  

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While the meaning of the phase remains unchanged since its conception over 150 years ago its use is dwindling in the modern lexicon. A phrase used primarily by baby-boomers and older but still understood by most. A May 2019 article on Gizmodo contained the line “Airbnb wants everything to be hunky dory in its biggest market” (song).

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From a Dutch Phrase referencing home to sailor slang for Japanese easy street to everyday phase for all is well this little used but widely known phrase remains unchanged since the civil war.

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I hope you enjoyed today’s topic. Please follow the show on Instagram at expanding lexicon. The show is posted on google podcasts and Spotify, please subscribe! Check the website for the show notes and bibliography at www.expandinglexicon.wixsite.com/podcast. Feel free to leave comments, stories, or episode suggestions or just say hi.

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I hope your coming week is Hunky Dory!

 

Works Cited

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