real McCoy
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English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Corruption of Scots the real MacKay, this latter attested in 1856 as “A drappie o’ the real MacKay” (A drop of the real MacKay).[1][2][3] How “MacKay” became “McCoy” is unclear; first attested in the form “McCoy” in the US in 1908.[4]
The term is the subject of many folk etymologies, discussed at the Wikipedia entry.
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (AU) (file)
Noun[edit]
- (idiomatic) The genuine thing, neither a substitute nor an imitation.
- Synonym: real deal
Translations[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Scottish National Dictionary
- ^ 2007 OED
- ^ Susie Dent of the Oxford University Press, on February 8, 2008 broadcast of Countdown.
- ^
Georgia Maas (2001 June 6) “real McCoy”, in The Mavens’ Word of the Day[1], archived from the original on 2002-03-14:
- It appears that the earliest citation with the spelling "McCoy" referring to whiskey is from 1908. This is from the Dictionary of Americanisms: "I took a good-size snort out of that big bottle [of furniture polish] in the middle....Have you none of the clear McCoy handy around the house? (Davenport, Butte Beneath X-Ray)
Further reading[edit]
The real McCoy on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
