The Real McCoy: Difference between revisions

From The Jolly Contrarian
Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit
No edit summary
 
(5 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{pe}}Disappointingly, this expression does not derive from a ''Star Trek'' episode in which they cloned the starship's doctor. In fact it is a bastardisation, surviving from anonymous, over-apostrophised Glaswegian poem ''The De'il's Hallowe' en'', which calls out "A drappie o' the real MacKay". McKay, we suppose was some kind of whiskey.  
{{pe}}Disappointingly, this expression does not derive from a ''Star Trek'' episode in which they cloned the starship’s doctor.  


So "the real McCoy" wasn't a McCoy at all. Come in Alannis Morissette - that ''is'' ironic.  
Common consensus has it, instead, as a bastardisation of ''McKay'', surviving from anonymous, over-apostrophied Glaswegian poem ''The De’il’s Hallowe’en'', which calls out “A drappie o’ the real MacKay”.
 
McKay, we suppose, was some kind of Scotch whisky; a drappie something like a “wee dram”, so to say.
 
So “the real McCoy” wasn’t a McCoy ''at all''. Come in Alannis Morissette - that ''is'' ironic.  


{{sa}}  
{{sa}}  
*[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_real_McCoy Wikipedia on the topic]
*[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_real_McCoy Wikipedia on the topic]

Latest revision as of 14:06, 7 October 2019

Towards more picturesque speech
SEC guidance on plain EnglishIndex: Click to expand:
Tell me more
Sign up for our newsletter — or just get in touch: for ½ a weekly 🍺 you get to consult JC. Ask about it here.

Disappointingly, this expression does not derive from a Star Trek episode in which they cloned the starship’s doctor.

Common consensus has it, instead, as a bastardisation of McKay, surviving from anonymous, over-apostrophied Glaswegian poem The De’il’s Hallowe’en, which calls out “A drappie o’ the real MacKay”.

McKay, we suppose, was some kind of Scotch whisky; a drappie something like a “wee dram”, so to say.

So “the real McCoy” wasn’t a McCoy at all. Come in Alannis Morissette - that is ironic.

See also