Antedating of "Real McCoy"

[Fred Shapiro]

real McCoy (OED 1916)

1891 _Manitoba Daily Free Press_ 21 Dec. 2 (Newspaperarchive)  The license
inspector, accompanied by Rev. Mr. Vicoman and Constable Dodds, seized a
quantity of linquor in the Stine hotel cellar on Saturday, and having
refreshed themselves by sampling it, declared it to be the real McCoy.

Fred Shapiro


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Fred R. Shapiro                             Editor
Associate Librarian for Collections and     YALE BOOK OF QUOTATIONS
   Access and Lecturer in Legal Research     Yale University Press,
Yale Law School                             forthcoming
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