hunky dory

See also: hunkydory and hunky-dory

English

Alternative forms

• hunky-dory, hunkydory, hunkidory, hunky dorey, hunky-dorey, hunkydorey

Etymology

American English, 1860s. From hunky (“in good condition”, “safe and sound”) + dory (origin and meaning unknown).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: hŭng'kidôʹri, IPA^(key): /ˌhʌŋkiˈdɔːɹi/

• Audio (US)

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Adjective

hunky dory (comparative more hunky dory, superlative most hunky dory)

1. (informal) Satisfactory, fine.

   Synonyms: alright, fine, tickety-boo, right as rain

   Now that I’ve found my missing book, everything’s hunky-dory again.

   • 1880 January 6, Mrs. Frank McCarthy, “How Aunt Pam Became a Smuggler”, in Harper's Young People‎^[1]:

     It was no easy job, I can tell you. We worked like beavers to get the cave the way we wanted it; but when it was done, it was what you may call hunky-dory.

   • 1913 October, Jack London, The Valley of the Moon, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, →OCLC:

     But you just go on lovin' him, and leanin' on his judgement—he's no fool—and you'll be all hunky-dory.

   • 1922, Sinclair Lewis, Babbitt, New York, N.Y.: Harcourt, Brace and Company, →OCLC:

     But you seem to be feeling all hunky-dory again, and why don’t you come join us in the Good Citizens’ League, old man?

   • 2022 September 29, Carl Zimmer, “A New Approach to Spotting Tumors: Look for Their Microbes”, in The New York Times‎^[2]:

     “OK, it’s associated with a specific tumor type, but does that just mean that it’s living hunky-dory with the tumor, or is it actually causing the tumor to get bigger and progress?” Dr. Galloway-Peña asked. “You just don’t know at this point.”

   • 2023 May 28, James Tapper, quoting woman approaching middle age, “‘We should be closer to Europe’: Brexit regrets simmer in leave-voting Boston”, in The Observer‎^[3], →ISSN:

     “There’s always got to be a period of adjustment. You can’t expect everything to be hunky dory straight away. I don’t disagree with it [Brexit]^[sic] but we need to get in charge and sweep out the political class.”

Further reading

• Jonathon Green (2024) “hunky-dory adj.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang
• Michael Quinion (1996–2024) “Hunky dory”, in World Wide Words.