Hunky-dory
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
Fine, satisfactory, or proceeding without trouble. Current, light-hearted, and slightly old-fashioned Regional use: United States.
Origin
An Americanism from the 1860s, probably built on hunk or hunky, earlier New York slang for being safe or in a good position, with a playful rhyming or reduplicative ending. Civil War letters securely show hunkey dora in 1864. The often-repeated derivation from Honcho-dori, a street in Yokohama, is chronologically possible but has no evidence connecting sailors or the street to the early uses.
Variants
- hunky dory
- hunkey dory
- hunkey dorey
- hunkey dora
Usage Examples
- The inspector found the wiring hunky-dory and signed the certificate.
- Everything looked hunky dory until water appeared under the floorboards.
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