honest-to-goodness
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective: - Genuine, real, authentic: Used informally, often for emphasis, to stress that something is true, actual, and not an imitation or exaggeration. It describes something that is unquestionably legitimate.
Usage
The term "honest-to-goodness" is an emphatic adjective, typically used in informal speech and writing to add strong emphasis. It confirms the authenticity or truthfulness of the noun it modifies. It is often hyphenated.
Examples
- Adjective:
- She baked an honest-to-goodness cherry pie from scratch. (She baked a genuine, real cherry pie.)
- After years of searching, he finally found an honest-to-goodness treasure map. (He found a real, authentic treasure map.)
- That's not a replica; it's an honest-to-goodness antique. (It is a genuine antique.)
Advanced Usage
- "honest-to-goodness" as an adverbial phrase: While primarily an adjective, it can sometimes function informally to modify an adjective or a verb for emphasis.
- I was honest-to-goodness surprised by the news. (I was genuinely, truly surprised.)
Variants and Related Words
- Honest-to-God (adj): A variant with identical meaning and usage.
- He's an honest-to-God war hero.
- Sure-enough (adj): Another informal synonym meaning genuine or real.
- We saw a sure-enough black bear in the woods.
- Bona fide (adj): A more formal synonym meaning authentic or genuine.
Synonyms
- Real
- Genuine
- Authentic
- True
- Actual
Related Phrases
- The real McCoy: An idiom meaning the genuine article, not a fake.
- This signed baseball is the real McCoy.
- For real: An informal phrase used for emphasis to ask or state if something is genuine.
- Are you moving to Paris for real?
Adjective
- (used informally especially for emphasis)
- a real honest-to-god live cowboy
- had us a high old time
- went upriver to look at a sure-enough fish wheel