The Real McCoy: Difference between revisions

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{{pe}}Disappointingly, this expression does not derive from a ''Star Trek'' episode in which they cloned the starship's doctor.  
{{pe}}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”.  
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”.  
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McKay, we suppose, was some kind of Scotch whisky; a drappie something like a “wee dram”, so to say.
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.  
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

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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