"I'm good" -- chronology?

Joel S. Berson Berson at ATT.NET
Thu Jan 9 02:35:42 UTC 2014


I'm interested in when "I'm good", expressing
satisfaction with one's state (e.g. of eating or drinking), became common.

The OED has a quotation from 1938, under
"jakealoo", and I think no others with this sense:
>1938  X. Herbert Capricornia xii. 169  Lambkin,
>you're not wounded, are you?’..‘Na­ow! I'm
>jakerloo.’ ‘You're what?’ she demanded, looking
>scared. ‘Jakerloo Mum, jakerloo.’ ‘What­not a
>disease, my darling?’ ‘Na­ow­that's French for “I'm good-o”.’

Joel

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