"The real McCoy" is an
idiomAn idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has figurative meaning — its implication comprehended only through common use; whereas the literal definition of the idiom, itself, does not communicate its meaning as a figurative usage.In linguistics, idioms are usually presumed to be figures of...
used throughout much of the English-speaking world to mean "the real thing" or "the genuine article" e.g., "he's the real
McCoyMcCoy is a common surname of Irish, Scottish, and Manx origin. It is a derivation of the name Magee, an Anglicisation of its Irish Gaelic form Mac Aoidh or Mac Aodha, meaning "son of Aodh" . It is particularly found in Ulster where many settled around the 13th century, having been Gallowglasses,...
". It is a corruption of the
ScotsScots or Lowland Scots is the variety of Germanic language traditionally spoken in lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster. It is not to be confused with Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language varieties traditionally spoken in the Highlands and Hebrides....
"The real MacKay", first recorded in 1856 as: "A drappie o’ the real MacKay," (A drop of the real MacKay), and this is widely accepted as the origin.
How it came to be "McCoy" is unclear – it is first recorded in this form in the US in 1908 – and the phrase is the subject of numerous fanciful folk etymologies.
"The Real MacKay," a phrase that appeared first in 1856 as "A drappie o’ [drop of] the real MacKay," by the
Scottish National DictionaryThe Scottish National Dictionary was produced by the Scottish National Dictionary Association from 1931 to 1976 and documents the Lowland Scots language. The original editor, William Grant, was the driving force behind the collection of Scots vocabulary...
; the same work says that the phrase was later adopted as a slogan to promote G Mackay & Co Ltd's whisky.
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"The real McCoy" is an
idiomAn idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has figurative meaning — its implication comprehended only through common use; whereas the literal definition of the idiom, itself, does not communicate its meaning as a figurative usage.In linguistics, idioms are usually presumed to be figures of...
used throughout much of the English-speaking world to mean "the real thing" or "the genuine article" e.g., "he's the real
McCoyMcCoy is a common surname of Irish, Scottish, and Manx origin. It is a derivation of the name Magee, an Anglicisation of its Irish Gaelic form Mac Aoidh or Mac Aodha, meaning "son of Aodh" . It is particularly found in Ulster where many settled around the 13th century, having been Gallowglasses,...
". It is a corruption of the
ScotsScots or Lowland Scots is the variety of Germanic language traditionally spoken in lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster. It is not to be confused with Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language varieties traditionally spoken in the Highlands and Hebrides....
"The real MacKay", first recorded in 1856 as: "A drappie o’ the real MacKay," (A drop of the real MacKay), and this is widely accepted as the origin.
How it came to be "McCoy" is unclear – it is first recorded in this form in the US in 1908 – and the phrase is the subject of numerous fanciful folk etymologies.
The real MacKay
"The Real MacKay," a phrase that appeared first in 1856 as "A drappie o’ [drop of] the real MacKay," by the
Scottish National DictionaryThe Scottish National Dictionary was produced by the Scottish National Dictionary Association from 1931 to 1976 and documents the Lowland Scots language. The original editor, William Grant, was the driving force behind the collection of Scots vocabulary...
; the same work says that the phrase was later adopted as a slogan to promote G Mackay & Co Ltd's whisky. The
Oxford English DictionaryThe Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press , is a comprehensive dictionary of the English language...
quotes
Robert Louis StevensonRobert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. Stevenson was greatly admired by many authors, including Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling, Marcel Schwob, Vladimir Nabokov, J. M. Barrie, and G. K...
from 1883 in a letter saying "He's the real Mackay."
In Scotland the reference is always the real MacKay (with the ay pronounced as i). In
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
this changed to McCoy. The Irish MacKays, McCoys and Magees originated in
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and the
Isle of ManThe Isle of Man , or Mann , is a self-governing British Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Britain and Ireland. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Crown is represented by a Lieutenant Governor...
, crossing to
UlsterUlster is one of the four Provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island.Ulster is composed of nine counties: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, and Tyrone are part of Northern Ireland; while Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan are part of the Republic of Ireland.-Terminology:The...
as
GallowglassesThe gallowglass were a mercenary warrior élite among Gaelic-Norse clans residing in the Western Isles of Scotland and Scottish Highlands from the mid 13th century to the end of the 16th century...
in the 13th century.
Origins
Michael QuinionMichael Quinion is a British etymologist and writer. He runs the web site World Wide Words, devoted to linguistics. He graduated from Cambridge University, where he studied physical sciences after which he joined BBC radio as a studio manager.-Writer:...
of the
World Wide Words website summarises the half dozen or so theories on the origin of this phrase:
- MacKay, as above
- A boxer, Norman Selby, known as Kid McCoy
Charles "Kid" McCoy, who was born Norman Selby was an American world champion boxer.Born in Moscow, Rush County, Indiana, Weight 160, Heights 5' 11", record 81 wins 6 losses, 9 no decision, disqualified 6 times. McCoy was noted for his "corkscrew punch"-a blow delivered with a twisting of the wrist...
, American welterweightWelterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
champion from 1898–1900. There are apocryphal tales to the effect that he had many imitators and had to adopt the term to distinguish himself. Others say that during one match, he pretended to be dazed and weak after being hit in order to trick his opponent into attacking him. But then he came back and surprised his opponent with an attack, and the announcer said "which is the real McCoy?"
- The McCoy family of an infamous family feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys
The Hatfield-McCoy feud is an account of American lore that has become a metaphor for bitterly feuding rival parties in general. It involved two warring families of the West Virginia-Kentucky backcountry along the Tug Fork River, off the Big Sandy River. The Hatfields involved in the feud...
on the West VirginiaWest Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland to the northeast...
-KentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is a Southern state situated in the Upland South, although the state is infrequently placed, geographically and culturally, in the Midwest. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a...
border in the United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the late nineteenth century.
- A famous American cattle baron by the name of Joseph McCoy
Joseph McCoy was a 19th century cattle baron.Born in Sangamon county, Illinois, he is often cited as the inspiration for the phrase "The Real McCoy" because of his reputation and reliability and because he referred to himself by that phrase Joseph McCoy (December 21, 1837 – October 19, 1915) was a...
is said to have promised his investors to bring 200,000 head of cattle from Texas to Chicago in 10 years. In the early 1870's he brought 10 times as many in just 4 years (theory popularised by Alistair CookeAlistair Cooke KBE was a British/American journalist, television personality and broadcaster. Outside his journalistic output, which included Letter from America and Alistair Cooke's America, he was well known in the United States as the host of PBS Masterpiece Theater from 1971 to 1992 Alistair...
).
- During the U.S. Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is a sumptuary law which prohibits alcohol. Typically, the manufacture, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages is restricted or illegal. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries...
era, it was common for rum-runnerRum-running is the business of smuggling or transporting of alcoholic beverages or any other illegal drinks;illegally, usually to circumvent taxation or prohibition. The term usually applies to transport of goods over water, over land it is commonly referred to as bootlegging.-History:It wasn't...
captains to add water to bottles to stretch their profits, or to re-label it as better goods. One American rum-runner captain and boat builder, William S. McCoyWilliam Frederick McCoy , also known as "Bill" McCoy, was an American sea captain and rum runner smuggler during the Prohibition in the United States....
, became famous for never watering his booze, and selling only real top-quality products. Because of this, some accounts place McCoy as the source of the term "the Real McCoy."
- A reference to pure heroin imported from Macau
The Macau Special Administrative Region , commonly known as Macau or Macao , is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong...
.
- Elijah McCoy
Elijah J. McCoy was an African Canadian inventor and engineer, known for his many U.S. patents.- Professional life :...
(1844–1929), Black CanadianBlack Canadians, Caribbean Canadians and African Canadians are designations used for people of Black African descent who reside in Canada. The terms are used by and of Canadian citizens who trace their ancestry back to people who were indigenous to Sub-Saharan Africa...
inventor of a lubrication system for steam engines. Supposedly, after failed attempts by competitors to make counterfeits of his lubricant, the phrase "real McCoy" was used to refer to his authentic product. Engine lubricators with his name on them were not manufactured until the 1920's.
Quinion notes that many authorities favor the Kid McCoy story, but he personally finds the MacKay story more convincing because of the concrete evidence which generally pre-dates the references supporting other stories, and the MacKay source is widely accepted among lexicographers.
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