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    The real McCoy
    • the real thing; the genuine article

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  3. Oct 3, 2010 · Claim: The "real McCoy" refers to a type of automatic oiler invented by a black man. FALSE. Examples: [Collected via e-mail, February 2000] Railroading was vital to the...

  4. McCoy is derived from Mackay, referring to Messrs. Mackay, Edinburgh, who made a brand of fine whisky from 1856 onwards that they promoted as ‘the real MacKay’ from 1870. The expression could have derived from the name of the branch of the MacKay family from Reay, Scotland, that is, ‘the Reay Mackay’.

  5. The genuine thing, as in That painting's not a reproduction—it's the real McCoy . This idiom has a disputed origin, but the most likely source is its use to distinguish welterweight champion “Kid McCoy,” the name used by Norman Selby (1873-1940), from other boxers using his name to capitalize on his popularity. [c.

  6. the original or best example of something: The caviar was the real McCoy too - not the stuff we buy in the supermarket at home. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Reality and truth. actuality. apothegm. authenticity. axiomatically. fact.

  7. Meaning: It's the real thing - not an imitation. Background: There are many theories as to the origin of the expression, 'The Real McCoy'. One contender is that it refers to the Canadian inventor Elijah McCoy, born in or around 1844, who invented many things including an automatic lubricator for steam engines.

  8. noun. Mc· Coy mə-ˈkȯi. Phrases. the real McCoy or less commonly the McCoy. : something or someone that is real or genuine : something or someone that is neither an imitation or a substitute. Even though I knew it was useless I tried tugging at the bars but they were the real McCoy, solid steel. Christopher Paul Curtis.

  9. Sep 20, 2021 · The real McCoy is the genuine article, the actual thing itself, not a fake or pretender. The origin of the phrase is unknown, and hypotheses as to the origin abound, most of which can be dismissed because the phrase antedates the events in the explanation.

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