i'm hearing lots of echoes... hasn't this been done to death by now?... for the record:
al·right adv. Nonstandard All right. See Usage Note at
all right.
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
alright
adj : nonstandard usage adv 1: used to reinforces an assertion; "it's expensive all right" [syn:
all right,
without doubt] 2: sentence-initial expression of agreement [syn:
very well,
fine,
all right,
OK] 3: in a satisfactory or adequate manner; "she'll do okay on her own"; "held up all right under pressure"; (`alright' is a nonstandard variant of `all right') [syn:
okay,
O.K.,
all right]
all right
adj.- In proper or satisfactory operational or working order: checked to see if the tires were all right. Acceptable; agreeable: Delaying the repair is all right by me.
- all-right Informal. Satisfactory; good: an all-right fellow; an all-right movie.
- Correct: Your answers are all right.
- Average; mediocre: The performance was just all right, not remarkable.
- Uninjured; safe: The passengers were shaken up but are all right.
- Fairly healthy; well: I am feeling all right again.
adv.- In a satisfactory way; adequately: I held up all right under pressure.
- Very well; yes. Used as a reply to a question or to introduce a declaration: All right, I'll go.
- Without a doubt: It's cold, all right.
Usage Note: Despite the appearance of the form alright in works of such well-known writers as Langston Hughes and James Joyce, the single word spelling has never been accepted as standard. This is peculiar, since similar fusions such as already and altogether have never raised any objections. The difference may lie in the fact that already and altogether became single words back in the Middle Ages, whereas alright has only been around for a little more than a century and was called out by language critics as a misspelling. Consequently, one who uses alright, especially in formal writing, runs the risk that readers may view it as an error or as the willful breaking of convention.
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Source: The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
all right- Completely correct, as in You have a perfect score; your answers are all right. (It could just as well be put as "all your answers are right.")
- In proper or working order, in a satisfactory way, as in The engine is running all right now. [Late 1800s] Also see turn out all right.
- In good health, as in John had the flu, but he's all right now. [Early 1900s]
- Not injured, safe, as in It was just a minor accident and everyone is all right. [Early 1900s]
- Very well, yes, as in Do you want to leave now? All right, or All right, we'll stay home. [First half of 1800s] Also see all right with you.
- Certainly, without a doubt, as in It's late all right, but it will probably come today. [Mid-1800s]
- Hurrah! Good for you, as in All right! your team has done it again! [Slang; mid-1900s]
- Also, all-right. Good, satisfactory. For example, This restaurant is all right, or Harry is an all-right guy. [Slang; mid-1900s]
Source: The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
all right
adj 1: being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition; "an all-right movie"; "the passengers were shaken up but are all right"; "is everything all right?"; "everything's fine"; "things are okay"; "dinner and the movies had been fine"; "another minute I'd have been fine" [syn:
fine,
ok,
o.k.,
okay,
hunky-dory] 2: being in good health; "he's feeling all right again"; "I'm fine, how are you?" [syn:
fine] adv 1: sentence-initial expression of agreement [syn:
very well,
fine,
alright,
OK] 2: used to reinforces an assertion; "it's expensive all right" [syn:
alright,
without doubt] 3: in a satisfactory or adequate manner; "she'll do okay on her own"; "held up all right under pressure"; (`alright' is a nonstandard variant of `all right') [syn:
okay,
O.K.,
alright
