"The Real McCoy" Idiom Meaning, Origin & History | Superduper English Idioms
Channel: Superduper English Idioms
Date: 2022-03-13

0:00 - How to Say, “The real McCoy…”
0:35 - Examples of “The real McCoy…”
1:22 - Meaning of “The real McCoy…”
2:10 - Origin of “The real McCoy…”
4:26 - More Examples of “The real McCoy…”
5:19 - Conclusion

“The real McCoy…”

If someone says that something or someone is “the real McCoy”, it means that it is authentic, genuine, not a substitute.

This idiom is quite common in all dialects of English, though it seems to be fading in popularity amongst the youngest generation of adults.

“I bought the store brand of paper towels because they were on sale, but next time I’ll get the real McCoy,” you might say after experiencing frustration with a lower-quality product.

You might be asking your dad to pick something up from the grocery store, “I need Fuji apples. Get the real McCoy, not some other type!”

“This vacuum cleaner looks nice, but it doesn’t do a good job! I guess we should’ve bought the real McCoy,” you might say to your partner while doing chores.

As you can see, “the real McCoy” is something that is the original, the real one, bona fide, not fake.

“The real McCoy”, being the original thing, usually works better, is of higher quality, is easier to use, costs more, is made by the brand that everyone trusts.

Of course, there are sometimes imitations or copies of the real McCoy which are cheaper and better, but this is the exception, rather than the rule!

The idiom, “the real McCoy”, has many false origin stories, though there are two different ones that stand out.

The first one comes from the catch-phrase of a Scottish whiskey, first used in advertising in 1856 Scotland, “A drappie o’ the real MacKay,” - G. MacKay & Co. Ltd., being the name of the distiller.

The second origin story lies with Canadian-born engineer and inventor, Elijah McCoy. McCoy invented and patented many things throughout his career, including an automatic oiler for steam engines.

Many online sources and the National Inventors Hall of Fame purport that railroad engineers asked for “the real McCoy”, meaning that they wanted genuine McCoy lubrication systems.

This second origin story of the idiom is doubted by many historians, however, as McCoy’s name is not mentioned in steam engine lubrication literature of his day; but the association to Elijah McCoy has become iconic, nonetheless.

Whatever the true origin of the idiom, “the real McCoy” is, you can safely use it in any circumstance in which you want the real thing and not a substitute.

Indeed, most of the time, it’s better to go for the real McCoy and not accept substitutes, off-brands or replacements, because though you might save money, your experience is sure to suffer.

“He’s a real gentleman. He’s the real McCoy,” you might be telling your friend after going on a date with one of the nicest guys you’ve met in a while.

Perhaps you’re on vacation and are trying to find a certain café when your friend suggests just going to any, “No way! We must find the real McCoy - their coffee is legendary!”

“Ever since shops started importing and selling knock-offs, it’s been really hard to find the real McCoy,” you might say to your friend while shopping for a certain brand of apparel.

So, the next time you want to ask for authentic appurtenances, proper products, bona fide bits and bobs, kosher commodities, or pukka people, just say that you want “the real McCoy”.

#superduperenglishidioms #englishidioms #idioms #proverbs

References: https://www.wordsense.eu/real_MacKay/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_real_McCoy#:~:text=%22The%20real%20McCoy%22%20is%20an,%22he's%20the%20real%20McCoy%22.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elijah_McCoy