The real McCoy

So imagine you have a toy and you really like playing with it. But then somebody comes along and says "Hey, I have a toy just like that!" And you're like, "No way! Is it the real one?"

Well, that's kind of like what people mean when they talk about the "real McCoy." It's a way of saying that something is the genuine article - not a fake or a copy.

The phrase probably comes from a man named Elijah McCoy who invented a special kind of oiling device for steam engines. His invention was so good that people started saying "I want the real McCoy" when they needed to buy one. And over time, the phrase got used for all kinds of things where people wanted to make sure they were getting the original and not a cheap knockoff.

So now when you hear somebody talk about the real McCoy, you'll know that they mean the genuine version - the one that's actually the thing that it's supposed to be. It's kind of like when you play with your favorite toy, and you know it's the one that you really like the best!