simon-pure

[sahy-muhn-pyoor]

adjective

1. real; genuine.

   a simon-pure accent.

simon-pure

adjective

1. real; genuine; authentic

Word History and Origins

Origin of simon pure¹

1710–20; short for the real Simon Pure, alluding to the victim of impersonation in Susanna Centlivre's play A Bold Stroke for a Wife (1718)

Word History and Origins

Origin of simon pure¹

C19: from the phrase the real Simon Pure, name of a character in the play A Bold Stroke for a Wife (1717) by Susannah Centlivre (1669–1723) who is impersonated by another character in some scenes

Idioms and Phrases

Absolutely genuine, quite authentic, as in That laboratory test was simon pure; none of the specimens was adulterated. This expression comes from the name of a character in a play, Susannah Centilivre's A Bold Stroke for a Wife (1717), who is the victim of an impersonation but turns up in the end and proves that he is “the real Simon Pure.”