I always knew what it meant, but I had no idea of how it originated. It's a term my mother always used in reference to phonies. But I doubt she knew where it came from, either, she probably never played a hand of poker in her life. Rusty

The European/colonial contact with Mexico was from Spain, on Brazil was from Portugal. Different countries, different languages. Real in Spanish means royal. Other countries have currency terms related to their royalty, mostly the crown as a monarchistic symbol. England used the term "crown" for specific coins at various times. In Scandinavian countries, it's the local form for crown - kroner, krona, krone. The Czech Republic still uses koruna.

That's a good one! Never would have thought that but totally makes sense.

Lots of creatures will get their back up when confronted ... Sort of like when the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.