honest to goodness
The phrase 'honest to goodness' is used to emphasize the authenticity or sincerity of something.
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Definition
B2General
(informal)Genuine and sincere, not fake or pretentious.
Example
- She gave an honest-to-goodness apology, and you could tell she meant it.
- This is an honest-to-goodness family recipe passed down through generations.
B2General
(informal)Real and authentic, not artificial or imitation.
Example
- That's an honest-to-goodness Picasso painting.
- He is an honest-to-goodness cowboy, living on a ranch and riding horses every day.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "honest to goodness":
honest injungenuine articlebona fidefair dinkumstraight dinkumreal dealstraight goodsfor realsiesfor realstraight shooterabove boardon one's honorstraight uptrue bluein earnesttrue to lifegood faithon the levelfair and squarepure good