Origin of Phrases - T
The Real McCoy
Kid McCoy was a famous boxer of the 1890s, but outside of the ring he didn't look very formidable. People who saw him for the first time often insisted that he couldn't be the renowned fighter. McCoy frequently got into - and won - barfights with those who refused to believe him. His repeated demonstrations that he was the real fighter led to people declaring any authenticated item - person or thing - as being the Real McCoy.