The Abbreviation “OMG” Is Way Older Than We Thought

[zaika]

Lest we are tempted to bemoan the "decline" of language, may we all be reminded at what an amazing, living thing language is!

And may we laugh at the idea of an old British dude using "OMG" in earnest. I dare you to not read this without the valley girl intonation! LOL

 

[Stanley Doble]

So is "groovy". The oldest use I have seen was in an English short story of about 1900. The story was about a woman who became obsessed with a family tragedy. The family solicitor said "she thought about it too much and got groovy on the subject".

 

[MikePotts]

Lest we are tempted to bemoan the "decline" of language, may we all be reminded at what an amazing, living thing language is!

And may we laugh at the idea of an old British dude using "OMG" in earnest. I dare you to not read this without the valley girl intonation! LOL

That was great Zaika, good find, well done, I WILL pass it on!

MP

 

[Espee]

Article assumes everyone is familiar with "O.B.E." (Order of the British Empire) and... ah well, I have to admit I don't any others.
In fact, I don't know if O.B.E. is "knighthood-level."
Anyway, it doesn't give as much context as it could.

 

[Undertow]

Interesting article. I don't think it's too hard to imagine seeing OMG used prior to our modern times. It's a very simple acronym for a common expression.

Now a strange one we use is OK (which has since taken the spelling "okay"). OK was an abbreviation for Oll Korrect, part of a fad for abbreviations in the 1830's and 1840's.

A predecessor to OK was OW "Oll Wright". We also have gems like NS "'Nuff Said", NG "No Go" and SP "Small Potatoes", among others.

Here's an article with details:
What does "OK" stand for?

 

[MisterCairo]

In fact, I don't know if O.B.E. is "knighthood-level."

Yes and no. My great grandfather was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order) for services to the Empire in Iraq. It is frequently awarded to members in the arts, entertainment, business and philanthropy. The Beatles were invested as MBEs, Members of the Order, the lowest class of the five.

The two highest classes, Knight/Dame Grand Cross and Knight/Dame Commander, entitle the holder to use sir or ma'am.

 

[totallyfrozen]

So is "groovy". The oldest use I have seen was in an English short story of about 1900. The story was about a woman who became obsessed with a family tragedy. The family solicitor said "she thought about it too much and got groovy on the subject".

One assumes the meaning there was "stuck in a rut"
As opposed to more modern usage which is related to the feeling of sensual musical rhythms.


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