The Guardian has an article about the origin of the term “The Real McCoy”.
The article says the term may come from a Canadian inventor named Elijah McCoy, who in 1871, came up with a lubricating device for steam engine locomotives.
Because McCoy’s invention spawned imitators, customers asked for his version by name: I want the Real McCoy”.
The article also describes a second possible origin relating to a boxer named Norman Selby:
In the late 1800s, American welterweight champion Norman Selby boxed under the name “Kid McCoy.” Two stories about Selby give a possible explanation for the phrase. In the first story, Selby was challenged by a drunk in a bar, who questioned whether he was really the legendary fighter he claimed to be. In response, Selby socked the drunk, sending him sprawling to the floor. When the man got to his feet, he announced that he was convinced the man who’d hit him was “the real McCoy.”
Note that this article demonstrates two types of custom citations:
- To see a inline contextual popup, click on the link:
came up with a lubricating device for steam engine locomotives
- To see a contextual blockquote, click on the arrows surrounding the Norman Selby blockquote.