Where did the phrase 'Hunky Dory' originate?

sorry this is so long and i dont like to cut and paste but this was interesting...nice question!

Probably the most oft-heard story about "hunky-dory" holds that there was, in the 19th century, a street in Yokohama, Japan, called "Honcho-dori." It is said that Honcho-dori was the Times Square of Yokohama, and thus a favorite hangout of U.S. sailors on shore leave. So popular did this street become among sailors, it is said, that "Honcho-dori" entered naval slang as "hunky-dory," a synonym for "Easy Street," or a state of well-being and comfort.

: Now, there actually is a "Honcho-dori" in Yokohama. (In fact, there's one in many Japanese cities, because "Honcho-dori" translates roughly as "Main Street.") But there are two problems with this story. One is that there is no direct evidence of any connection between the first appearance of "hunky-dory" around 1866 and U.S. sailors in Japan or naval slang in general.

: Problem number two is that a connection with "Honcho-dori" is somewhat unnecessary. English already had the archaic American slang word "hunk," meaning "safe," from the Dutch word "honk," meaning "goal," or "home" in a game. To achieve "hunk" or "hunky" in a child's game was to make it "home" and win the game. So "hunky" already meant "O.K."

: Where the "dory" came from is more of a mystery. It may have arisen as what linguists call "reduplication," or the emphatic, joking repetition of parts of a word, as in "okey-dokey." Or the "dory" may actually be a reference to the Japanese "Honcho-dori" grafted on after "hunky" was already in use as slang. There is some evidence that a Japanese stage performer popular in the U.S. claimed to have introduced "hunky-dory" around 1865. What he actually may have done is blend the name of a Japanese street with our American "hunky."

From William and Mary Morris's Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins: The story goes that the principal street of Yokohama was Huncho-dori street. (OK, Danny, is that true today?) A sailor on shore leave would feel that everything was OK when he was on the main street.

Another story however (attributed by the Morrises to Charles Earle Funk) traces the origin back to the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam: taking the word hunk as derived from the Dutch word honk for goal. When you reached the goal, everything was hunky-dory. How the dory got into the expression was not clear.

We do know that Christy's Minstrels of the mid-nineteenth century popularized a bit of corn called "Josiphus Orange Blossom" that contained the lyric "red hot hunky-dory contraband." The song was a hit and hunky-dory came into the language.

Hunky Dory Origin

Two theories:

One is from a song during the Civil War. It was called 'Josephus Orange Blossom' and contained a line about 'red-hot hunky-dory contraband.' The song was a great hit and hunky-dory became part of the popular slang of the period.

Another, more doubtful one, is that there was, in the 19th century, a street in Yokohama, Japan, called "Honcho-dori." It is said that Honcho-dori was the Times Square of Yokohama, and thus a favorite hangout of U.S. sailors on shore leave. So popular did this street become among sailors, it is said, that "Honcho-dori" entered naval slang as "hunky-dory," a synonym for "Easy Street," or a state of well-being and comfort.

RE:

Where did the phrase 'Hunky Dory' originate?

Just a passing thought for the day!

Hunky dory is 19th century American slang : -

The Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang suggests that the term may have been introduced in America about 1865 by a popular variety performer named Japanese Tommy. Other references suggest that it may have been sailors’ slang for a street in Yokohama that catered for what one might describe as the special needs of sailors. In Yokohama today a broad thoroughfare called Honcho-dori runs from the centre of the city to the port area, so one that would have been familiar to sailors (dori is the Japanese word for a road, in particular a broad or important one).

What seems certain is that hunky-dory was a play on an existing sense of the word hunky for something that was fine, splendid or satisfactory. In turn, this probably derives from the adjective hunk, which means that one is all right or in a safe or good position. This derives from the Dutch honk, meaning “goal” or “home” in a Frisian variant of the game of tag. This word (and presumably the game, too) was said to have been taken by the Dutch to New Amsterdam, later New York, but was first recorded only around the 1840s. It has links to another reduplicated term, hunkum-bunkum. Though the first part sounds a bit like the hunker of hunker down (which is also of Dutch origin), the words seem not to be related.

It may be that hunky-dory was the result of a bilingual pun, perhaps invented because American sailors knew the word dori and prefixed it with hunky as an imagined Japanese street of earthly delights.

Since Japanese Tommy has been mentioned above, I thought it okay to bring him into the debate, as it were. Following is a site about Japanese Tommy, see what he has to say about Hunky Dory!

Japanese Tommy: 1860 | Shorpy Vintage Photos The American minstrel performer Japanese Tommy, aka Thomas Dilward, circa 1860. Brady-Handy Photograph Collection. View large as life. ...

http://www.shorpy.com/node/751

World Wide Words: Hunky-dory Where does 'hunky-dory' come from? ... part sounds a bit like the hunker of hunker down (which is also of Dutch origin), the words seem not to be related. ...

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-hun2.htm

The Straight Dope Mailbag: What's the origin of "hunky dory"?I have a question regarding the origin of the phrase Honky Dory. I have heard rumors that this came from the US Occupation Forces here in Japan. ...

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mhunky.html

Re: Hunky-dory Probably the most oft-heard story about "hunky-dory" holds that there was, ... The "Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins" by William and Mary Morris ...

http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/28/messag...

Personally I think the expression Hunky dory comes from the West of Eire where the fisherfolk use a kind of inshore fishing boat called a 'dory' - same shape fore and aft, therefore easy to go forward or back without coming about 360.

Hunky Dory: Food Ireland - Irish Food & Gift StoreIrish Foods , Hunky Dory , ... Top Sellers in Hunky Dory. Hunky Dory Cheese & Onion 45g case of 45 · Hunky Dory Cheese & Onion 45g case of 45 ...

http://www.foodireland.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?...

Dory - Wikipedia, A dory is a small, shallow-draft boat of approximately 5 to 7 m (15 to 22 ft) in length. Variant spellings are doree and dorey (OED) and dori. ...

http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dory

This is the answer-----

HUNKY-DORY, is from the low Dutch word, bonk, meaning safe. The word was also used to mean a "goal" in a game-and so a man who scored, or who reached base in a game like baseball was said to honk, or be honky.Dory quite possibly, comes from "All right.

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1866, Amer.Eng. (popularized c.1870 by a Christy Minstrel song), perhaps a reduplication of hunkey "all right, satisfactory" (1861), from hunk "in a safe position" (1847) New York City slang, from Du. honk "goal, home," from M.Du. honc "place of refuge, hiding place." A theory from 1876, however, traces it to Honcho dori, said to be a street in Yokohama, Japan, where sailors went for diversions of the sort sailors enjoy.

It originated in the U.S. and was brought to this country by American servicemen in the Second World War.

Honky Dory