a term often used,especially in New South Wales, for the `very first families,'as the pure merino is the most valuable sheep.
1827. P. Cunningham, `Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. i.p. 116:
«Next we have the legitimates . . . such as have legal reasons for visiting this colony; and the illegitimates, or such as are free from that stigma.The pure merinos are a variety of the latter species,who pride themselves on being of the purest blood in thecolony.»
A New Latin Dictionary by Charlton T. Lewis Ph.D. and Charles Short, LL. D.
'The real Simon Pure,' is a phrase meaning the genuine article; the real thing; as, 'This whisky is ...
Dictionary of American Words And Phrases by John Russell Bartlett.