Japanese

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Words and Their Stories -- a program in Special English. Every people has its own way of saying things its special expressions. These are part of the living speech of a people. And a story can be told about each of them.

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Today, we will tell you about the words, "the real McCoy," and how they arose and became accepted as part of the American language. If a person tells you that someone or something is "the real McCoy," he is telling you that it is the real thing, that there is nothing that can replace such a person or thing. It is the finest praise that can be given. There are different ideas on how the words came into common usage. Perhaps the most popular story comes from the famous boxer, Charles Kid McCoy, one-time World Welter-Weight Champion.

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One day, McCoy was having a drink in a bar with a lady friend. A man came up and began to bother her. McCoy wanted no trouble; he asked the man to leave. He said, "I'm Kid McCoy." McCoy thought there was no need to say more, but the man did not believe him He said, "Oh, yeah? Well, if you are Kid McCoy, then I am George Washington!" And he continued to be unpleasant to the prize-fighter's friend. McCoy then hit the man with his fist, not hard. It was really a light punch. The man collapsed.

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Ten minutes later, when he came to his senses, he called out, "It was the real McCoy!" And so, as told by Kid McCoy, that was how the expression, "the real McCoy," got started.

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There are other explanations, however -- one that the phrase goes back to the days of Prohibition when it was illegal in the United States to sell whiskey. Even though it was against the law, many sold it, and many sold bad whiskey. They were not afraid to do so because there was little anybody could do about it. Buying the whiskey was as illegal as selling it. But there was one whiskey dealer who was honest. His name was McCoy. He refused to sell bad whiskey to his customers. He sold only the best imported whiskey. In time, his product stood for the best, and was called "the real McCoy." The phrase survived Prohibition days and soon became a general term.

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One way or another -- no matter how the expression began -- "the real McCoy" are words that everybody understands. They mean the best there is. They are, indeed, words of special praise.

Voice of America

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