real McCoy
English
Alternative forms
- real McKoy
- real Macoy
Etymology
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
Audio (AU) (file)
Noun
the real McCoy
- (idiomatic) The genuine thing, neither a substitute nor an imitation.
- Synonym: real deal
Translations
Translations
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References
- Scottish National Dictionary
- 2007 OED
- Susie Dent of the Oxford University Press, on February 8, 2008 broadcast of Countdown.
- Georgia Maas (2001-06-06), “real McCoy”, in The Mavens’ Word of the Day, 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
The real McCoy on Wikipedia.Wikipedia