honest-to-goodness
Americanadjective
adverb
Etymology
Origin of honest-to-goodness
First recorded in 1915–20
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Her last opponent, Bill himself, pitches a private beach sword fight at sunrise “like a couple real-life honest-to-goodness samurais.”
From Los Angeles Times
By the early 1970s, the couple dropped out of San Jose State University to make a run at an honest-to-goodness musical career.
From Salon
Actual honest-to-goodness electrical power, the stuff of Edison and Tesla that drives microphones, lighting and the internet.
From Los Angeles Times
Yet “Problemista,” which Torres wrote, directed and stars in, reveals a new willingness to tell a relatable story with a riveting sketch of an honest-to-goodness person.
From New York Times
I was curious to hear from gay Catholics who are siding with Gomez and honest-to-goodness homophobes on an issue — drag — that’s such a big part of queer culture.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
