VOA慢速英语2016--The Real McCoy

The Real McCoy

Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.

Each week, we tell the story of words and expressions used in American English. Our expression today is “the real McCoy.”

If a person tells you that something is "the real McCoy,” they are telling you that it is the real thing. It is not a copy or replacement². There is nothing false about “the real McCoy.” And, not only is it the real thing, it is the best version that exists.

As usual, word experts do not agree on how this expression came into common use.

A popular belief is that it is connected to Charles “Kid” McCoy, a famous boxer³ of the past. During the 1800s, he was a one-time world champion. His real name was Norman Selby. Word historians also cannot agree on which Selby story is the origin of “the real McCoy.”

One explanation goes like this: McCoy was having a drink in a bar with a woman friend. As the story goes, a man at the bar insulted McCoy by calling him a liar⁴. He said he was not the famous prize-fighter. So, McCoy knocked him out with one hit.

When the man came to his senses he called out, “That was the real McCoy!”

The second version of the Kid McCoy story is much less flattering to the boxer.

McCoy was accused of throwing many fights. To throw a fight means to lose on purpose for money. So, sportswriters would ask, “Who is going to show up for the boxing match? The boxer who throws the fight or the real McCoy?”

However, there are other explanations for “the real McCoy.”

One story takes us back to the days of Prohibition⁵ in the United States (1920-1933). During this time, it was illegal to sell alcohol. That, however, did not stop people from selling it. And many people sold low quality alcohol.

As this story goes, there was one dealer⁶ who was honest. His name was Bill -- you guessed it -- McCoy. He refused to sell bad alcohol. Over time, his product became recognized as the best. It was called “the real McCoy.”

The expression made it through the days of Prohibition and soon became a general term.

But not so fast.

Yet another possible explanation is from Canada. Canadian inventor Elijah McCoy made a successful machine for keeping train engines running smoothly⁷. He patented his design in 1872. But that did not stop others from copying it.

These copies were all inferior, or not as good. So, railroad engineers would request the patented design by name. They wanted “the real McCoy” system for their trains.

Similar expressions include “the real deal” and the “genuine article.” The adjective honest-to-goodness means the same thing.

Now, let’s hear these expression used in a short dialogue.

"Wow, is your computer the new Banana Book Pro¹ 5000?"

"You bet it is. It is the real McCoy. And it should be. I paid enough for it!"

"I’m afraid to ask … but how much did it cost?"

"More than $2,000."

"That is a lot of money. But like you said it’s the genuine article."

"Yep, you get what you pay for. There are many copies out there. So, you have to be careful."

"Absolutely. The only way to really buy the Banana Book Pro is at the Banana store. That is where you bought it, isn’t it?"

"No. I bought it from a guy selling them out of his car. But he promised that it was an honest-to-goodness Banana Book Pro. He showed me the paperwork and everything."

"Well, then. I’m sure it’s the real deal. Do you mind if I see the … uh oh, sorry, the logo just fell off. It’s a good thing you have the paperwork."

Is the Banana Book Pro the real McCoy? We may never know. And we may never know which story, if any of them, truly explains “the real McCoy.”

But from the Real McCoy of English learning media, I’m Anna Matteo, VOA Learning English.

Words in This Story

to knock out – v. to defeat (a boxing opponent) by a knockout

came to his senses – v. to recover consciousness; idiomatic⁸ phrase to begin to think in a sensible or correct way after being foolish or wrong

flattering – v. to show as favorably (in a good light) as possible

patented – v. to possess the legal right to be the only one to make or sell an invention

inferior – adj. of poor quality; low or lower in quality

authentic⁹ – adj. real; not copied or false

genuine article – phrase a person or thing considered to be an authentic and excellent example of their kind

logo – n. a symbol or sign that is used to identify a company and that appears on its products

1 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

2 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

3 boxer   

n.制箱者，拳击手

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。

4 liar   

n.说谎的人

参考例句：

• I know you for a thief and a liar!我算认识你了，一个又偷又骗的家伙！
• She was wrongly labelled a liar.她被错误地扣上说谎者的帽子。

5 prohibition   

n.禁止；禁令，禁律

参考例句：

• The prohibition against drunken driving will save many lives.禁止酒后开车将会减少许多死亡事故。
• They voted in favour of the prohibition of smoking in public areas.他们投票赞成禁止在公共场所吸烟。

6 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

7 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

8 idiomatic   

adj.成语的，符合语言习惯的

参考例句：

• In our reading we should always be alert for idiomatic expressions.我们在阅读过程中应经常注意惯用法。
• In his lecture,he bore down on the importance of idiomatic usage in a language.他在演讲中着重强调了语言中习惯用法的重要性。

9 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。