real mccoys

[rondat]

Hi all...I have to admit to never having seen this sitcom.I live in Australia and we have been trying to work ut where the saying,,The Real Mccoy...originated. Is it from this TV show ...does anyone know,,,can someone please let me know if they know.... thanks heaps,,,bye for now Ronda

[Perderabo]

The phrase "the real Mccoy" is found in print as early as 1922. The sitcom is named after the phrase. not vice versa.

People that invent cool phrases like this don't keep good records, so we don't know for sure, but there are several theories as to where it originated. My favorite is that the boxer "Kidd Mccoy" used the phrase when fakes started boxing under this name. His real name was Norman Shelby and he had no legal way to stop others from calling themselves "Kidd Mccoy". He did exist and he did use the phrase in the early 1920's. But you can't really prove that he was first.