Would words and phrases like "operative" and "pump him for information" be out of place in a novel set in the 1800s? We investigate! And we also look at the two spellings of "OK/okay," and I explain why I prefer "OK." (It has a fun history.)\nSubscribe to the newsletter\xa0for regular updates.\xa0\nWatch my\xa0LinkedIn Learning writing course.\nJoin the conversation on\xa0Facebook\xa0and\xa0Twitter.\nGrammar Pop\xa0iOS game.\n\tPeeve Wars\xa0card game.\nGrammar Girl\xa0books.\nHOST: Mignon Fogarty\n\tVOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)\nGrammar Girl is part of the\xa0Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.\nLinks:\xa0\nhttps://www.quickanddirtytips.com/\nhttps://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcasts\nhttps://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe\nhttp://twitter.com/grammargirl\nhttp://facebook.com/grammargirl\nhttp://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl\nhttp://instagram.com/thegrammargirl\nhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl