"hunky" and "dory"

[Joel S. Berson]

All I can say is that the OED2 puts "hunky-dory" as a "Derivative"
under "hunky, adj.1" with the explanation "[second element of unknown
origin] satisfactory, fine."  But perhaps the OED3 will know more.

The other "hunky," "adj.2", is the one we late moderns probably
expect -- "Thick-set, solidly built" [1911-], with a "Draft additions
1993" of "In modern use, spec. (of a man) sexually attractive,
ruggedly handsome. colloq. (orig. U.S.)" [1978-].

Joel

At 9/28/2013 08:56 AM, Margaret Lee wrote:
>In the OED2 sense then, does "hunky dory" have the same meaning as
>'hunky'??   --Margaret Lee   ________________________________ From:
>Joel S. Berson <Berson at ATT.NET> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU  Sent:
>Friday, September 27, 2013 2:15 PM Subject: Re: "croutcatcher" and
>"hunky"   Lovely stuff, Bonnie.  Weren't the newspapers fun then
>(and earlier)? Considering Artemus Ward's persistent idiosyncratic
>spelling, I assume his "croutcutter" is everyone else's
>"krautcutter". I noat in passun that his 1866 "hunkiest" is not fir
>frum his 1861 "hunkey boy", the earliest OED2 citation fir "hunky,
>adj.1", "In good condition; safe and sound; all right". I'll have to
>poke historians about the surnames. Joel At 9/27/2013 01:44 PM,
>Bonnie Taylor-Blake wrote: >[Snake Feeder, 1821] > >On the 7th of
>June last, about 5 o'clock in the afternoon; there >passed over
>Willistown and and Goshen a swarm of the animal >denominated the
>"Devil's Darning Needle," or the "Snake Feeder, or the >Snake
>Servant."  So vast was the number, that to use the expression of >a
>respectable person who witnessed their flight, 'they were like
>a >cloud and darkened the air.' From the best information we can
>obtain, >the swarm extended a mile in width, and was more than an
>hour in >passing.  They did not move fast; their general course was
>from east >to west.  Any futher information relative to this vast
>congregation, >we shall be glad to receive.  Were they seen at any
>considerable >distance from the towns mentioned?  One gentleman
>suggests that they >had been waiting upon the great sea serpent, and
>finding their service >no longer needed, were emigrating in quest of
>other business. > >[From "From the Village Record, West Chester,
>(Penn.), Aug. 15.," in >The New-York (NY) Evening Post, 17 August
>1821, p. 2.] > >--------------------------- > >[Croutcutter,
>1866] > >We were akumpanied by a towerist and artist, Sir
>Croutcutter, a furrin >gentleman, who acted as mi treasurer -- this
>is a goak, for he is not >in a monetury of the kaes, but he merely
>treasures up the grate and >little sayins that ockashunally drop
>from mi lips, and he reports them >weakly to the Times newspaper --
>not the little villin's Times from Nu >York, but the thunderin big
>one from Londun. > >Sir Croutcutter is one of the hunkiest jenisus
>and most habitual >connosure English society onse a while can afford
>to spare fo the the >benefit of us benited or rather unknitted
>Yankee roosters. > >[From "Artemus Ward Visits Stein's Gold Gift
>Sale," The Nashville >(Tennessee) Daily Union, 24 March 1866, p. 1,
>column 3.  You can see >the remainder of the article, which includes
>a few more mentions of >Croutcutter, at http://ow.ly/p9bYp.]
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