Simon Pure
Preserved but no longer current.
The real man, the authentic article, etc. In Mrs. Centlivre's Bold Stroke for a Wife, a Colonel Feignwell passes himself off for Simon Pure, a Quaker, and wins the heart of Miss Lovely. No sooner does he get the assent of her guardian, than the Quaker turns up, and proves, beyond a doubt, he is the "real Simon Pure.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Simon Pure” mean?
The real man, the authentic article, etc. In Mrs. Centlivre's Bold Stroke for a Wife, a Colonel Feignwell passes himself off for Simon Pure, a Quaker, and wins the heart of Miss Lovely. No sooner does he get the assent of her guardian, than the Quaker turns up, and proves, beyond a doubt, he is the "real Simon Pure.
Is “Simon Pure” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.