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simon-pure

simon-pure [sahy-muh n-pyoo r] Word Origin adjective

real; genuine: a simon-pure accent.

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 Related Words for simon pure artificial, goody-goody, sanctimonious, smug, snobbish, unctuous, judgmental, pietistic, high-hat, simon-pure 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 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.

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.”