# real McCoy

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/real-mccoy
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

The genuine thing, neither a substitute nor an imitation.

## Examples

- This watch is the real McCoy, not a cheap copy.
- You can tell this leather jacket is the real McCoy by the smell.
- He claims he is a professional chef, but is he the real McCoy?
- The jeweler confirmed that the diamond was the real McCoy and not a synthetic stone.
- I thought the online course would be a scam, but the certificate turned out to be the real McCoy.
- Many restaurants serve frozen seafood, but this place catches their fish daily so it is the real McCoy.
- While many musicians use computer software to fix their voices, this singer performs without any effects to prove she is the real McCoy.
- After years of searching for an authentic antique, the collector was relieved to find that the painting was indeed the real McCoy.

## Origin

Corruption of Scots the real MacKay, this latter attested in 1856 as “A drappie o’ the real MacKay” (A drop of the real MacKay). How “MacKay” became “McCoy” is unclear; first attested in the form “McCoy” in the US in 1908. The term is the subject of many folk etymologies, discussed at the Wikipedia entry. (folk)

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