honest to goodness
Absolutely for real
Honest to goodness is an emphatic expression affirming sincerity or truth, used as an interjection or modifier: Honest to goodness, I didn't take it.
As an adjective, it means genuine or authentic: an honest-to-goodness country breakfast.
The phrase is a mild oath, substituting "goodness" for "God" to avoid taking the Lord's name in vain.
- sure-enoughUndoubtedly real or authentic
- no lieAssertion of truthfulness
- veritableTruly what's claimed
- genuineTruly what it claims
- truthfulAccurate and sincere
cross my heart · authentic · bona fide · for real · sincere · straight up · down-to-earth · real · true to life · trustworthy · forthright · no-nonsense · plain and simple · plainspoken · candid · legitimate · straightforward · unfeigned
- authenticityauthentic, genuine, real, fake, counterfeit
- phrases about integritykeep your word, man of his word, straight shooter, above board, on the level
honest to goodnessfake
Not the real thing
phony · counterfeit · bogus · fraudulent · sham
honest, goodness, honesty, honestly, dishonest, dishonesty, good, goods, better