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simon-pure

[sahy-muh n-pyoo r]
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adjective

real; genuine: a simon-pure accent.

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RELATED WORDS

artificial, goody-goody, sanctimonious, smug, snobbish, unctuous, judgmental, pietistic, high-hat

Origin of simon-pure

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)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for simon-pure

Historical Examples of simon-pure

  • The simon-pure cowpuncher would not accept a self-cocker as a gift.

  • The solo is Massenet, simon-pure Massenet, the idol of the Paris midinette.

    The Merry-Go-Round

    Carl Van Vechten

  • To use a philosophical term, the paranoiac is the Simon-pure "solipsist."

    The Behavior of Crowds

    Everett Dean Martin

  • He looked the very picture and pattern of a Simon-Pure salt.

    Manuel Pereira

    F. C. Adams

  • He has a cupboard love for Sarah, but I think that his affection for me is simon-pure.

    Mavis of Green Hill

    Faith Baldwin

British Dictionary definitions for simon-pure

simon-pure

adjective

real; genuine; authentic

Word Origin for simon-pure

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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for simon-pure
adj.

1815, from the true Simon Pure "the genuine person or thing" (1795), from Simon Pure, name of a Quaker who is impersonated by another character (Colonel Feignwell) in part of the comedy "A Bold Stroke for a Wife" (1717) by Susannah Centlivre, English dramatist and actress. The real Simon Pure is dealt with as an imposter in the play and is believed only after he has proved his identity.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper