What does the slang term uncle mean?

noun. (southern US and parts of UK, colloquial) A close male friend of the parents of a family. noun. (southern US, slang, archaic) An older male African-American person.

What does it mean to say I cry uncle?

say​/​cry uncle ​Definitions and Synonyms phrase​American​informal. to admit that you have been defeated. Synonyms and related words. To be defeated in a game, competition or argument. go down.

When did people start saying uncle?

— is first recorded in print in the US early in the twentieth century. The Oxford English Dictionary’s first example is from 1918, but I’ve found an instance in an advertisement in the Modesto News of California, dated 1912: “This Time it is ‘Martie’ Graves and Don Johns who made them say ‘Uncle.

What does not cry uncle mean?

To admit defeat or plead for mercy, especially in an informal physical contest of some kind.

What’s the origin of Bob’s your uncle?

In 1887, British Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil appointed his nephew Arthur James Balfour as Minister for Ireland. The phrase ‘Bob’s your uncle’ was coined when Arthur referred to the Prime Minister as ‘Uncle Bob’. Apparently, it’s very simple to become a minister when Bob’s your uncle!

Where did the term uncle originate?

late 13c., from Old French oncle, from Latin avunculus “mother’s brother” (“father’s brother” was patruus), literally “little grandfather,” diminutive of avus “grandfather,” from PIE root *awo- “grandfather, adult male relative other than one’s father” (source also of Armenian hav “grandfather,” Hittite huhhas ” …

Why do you have to cry uncle?

There is no definitive history on the origin of the phrase, though there is plenty of speculation. The term, which is universally recognized as words that concede defeat (i.e., “I give up”), was traced back to the late 19th century, according to the website worldwidewords.org, and was used as a focal point in a joke.

How do you use cry uncle in a sentence?

To admit defeat or plead for mercy, especially in an informal physical contest of some kind. The brothers often play fought, but it was invariably the younger of the two who had to cry uncle by the end.

Why is Fanny your aunt?

A phrase with the same meaning is ‘Fanny’s your aunt’. When used together it means complete or the whole lot. If Bob’s your uncle and Fanny’s your aunt you’ve got a full set of relatives and you are complete.

Why do they say uncle in Game of Thrones?

Nuncle is derived from the phrase “mine uncle”, and through a process called juncture loss the n transferred over to the uncle. Other people have uncles, you have nuncles (but your nuncles are also uncles). Bonus: this is the same reason an ‘n’ made its way into a nickname for Eddard.

Where does the word uncle come from?