real McCoy, the



real McCoy, the

Also, the McCoy. 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. 1900]
See also: real

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Root[ru:t]
Pavle-Serbian, Macedonian, Croatian, Georgian
Aleksandar-Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian, Serbian
Jocelinezho-sə-LEENFrench
KellieKEL-eeEnglish
Michelamee-KE-lahItalian