un·cle (ŭng′kəl) n. 1. a. The brother of one's mother or father. b. The husband of a sibling of one's mother or father. 2. Used as a form of address for an older man, especially by children. 3. A kindly counselor. 4. Slang A pawnbroker. 5. Uncle Uncle Sam. Idiom: cry/say uncle Informal
Full Answer
What do you call uncle in English?
British English: uncle /ˈʌŋkl/ NOUN. Your uncle is the brother of your mother or father, or the husband of your aunt or uncle.
What does uncle mean in British slang?
No no I am not talking about your literal uncle at the beach.”Bob's your uncle” is a phrase commonly used in United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries that means “and there it is” or “and there you have it.”.
Is calling someone uncle rude?
Absolutely do not call someone in the U.S. either Uncle or Grandpa regardless of age unless they are actually your uncle or grandfather. Calling an individual “Uncle” purely based on age would come across as presumptuous, overly familiar or downright creepy.
Why is Fanny your aunt?
Used as a humorous response to the phrase "Bob's your uncle," which is used to emphasize how easily or quickly something can be done. Primarily heard in UK, Australia.
Why do we say uncle when giving up?
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.
What's another word for uncle?
What is another word for uncle?kinsmankinrelationrelativekinswomansiblingkinspersoncousinrellieagnate37 more rows
What did young bachelors do?
Young bachelors worked for their uncles from circumcision until marriage, with time allotted for them to earn wealth for themselves.
Can disgruntled children always turn to uncles?
Thus disgruntled children could always turn to uncles.
Did uncles have nieces?
uncle. Four uncles and three aunts had virtually no contact with nieces or nephews and rarely saw any of them. From the Cambridge English Corpus. Marriage to the niece, or maternal uncle's daughter was permitted and was often considered the ideal marriage. From the Cambridge English Corpus.
What is the meaning of "uncle"?
1. uncle - the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt. granduncle, great-uncle - an uncle of your father or mother. kinsman - a male relative. aunt, auntie, aunty - the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle. 2.
What does "grand uncle" mean?
granduncle, great-uncle- an uncle of your father or mother
What does Uncle Sam mean?
1. a brother of one's father or mother. 2. an aunt's husband. 3. a familiar title or term of address for any elderly man. 4. ( cap.) Uncle Sam. Idioms: say or cry uncle, to concede defeat. [1250–1300; < Old French < Latin avunculus mother's brother; akin to Old English èam uncle, Latin avus grandfather]
What does "tickled my brother until he cried uncle" mean?
To indicate a willingness to give up a fight or surrender: tickled my brother until he cried uncle. [Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, from Latin avunculus, maternal uncle; see awo- in Indo-European roots .] American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
What does "uncle" mean in English?
uncle in American English. (ˈʌŋkəl) noun. 1. a brother of one's father or mother. 2. the husband of one's parent's sibling. 3. a familiar title or term of address for any elderly man.
What is an uncle?
Definition of 'uncle'. Someone's uncle is the brother of their mother or father, or the husband of their aunt. My uncle was the mayor of Memphis.
Can surviving fathers and uncles be passed over?
Their surviving fathers and uncles cannot easily be passed over.
Is being an aunt and uncle good?
Being an aunt and uncle is great and that's what we decided to do.
What does "uncle Sam" mean?
Uncle Sam (U in Uncle = United, S in Sam = States, -am in Sam = America) is a common national personification of the U.S. Federal Government or the country in general that, according to legend, came into use during the War of 1812 and was supposedly named for Samuel Wilson. The actual origin is by a legend.
When was Uncle Sam first mentioned?
The first reference to Uncle Sam in formal literature (as distinct from newspapers) was in the 1816 allegorical book The Adventures of Uncle Sam, in Search After His Lost Honor by Frederick Augustus Fidfaddy, Esq.
What is Uncle Sam's appearance?
Uncle Sam did not get a standard appearance, even with the effective abandonment of Brother Jonathan near the end of the American Civil War, until the well-known recruitment image of Uncle Sam was first created by James Montgomery Flagg during World War I. The image was inspired by a British recruitment poster showing Lord Kitchener in a similar pose. It is this image more than any other that has influenced the modern appearance of Uncle Sam: an elderly white man with white hair and a goatee, wearing a white top hat with white stars on a blue band, a blue tail coat, and red-and-white-striped trousers.
What does Uncle Sam represent?
The actual origin is by a legend. Since the early 19th century, Uncle Sam has been a popular symbol of the US government in American culture and a manifestation of patriotic emotion. While the figure of Uncle Sam represents specifically the government, Columbia represents the United States as a nation. The image has also developed notoriety ...
What was the purpose of the Uncle Sam poster?
M. Flagg 's 1917 poster was based on the original British Lord Kitchener poster of three years earlier. It was used to recruit soldiers for both World War I and World War II into the US Army.
What was Uncle Sam's name in the 1850s?
By the 1850s, the names Brother Jonathan and Uncle Sam were being used nearly interchangeably, to the point that images of what had previously been called "Brother Jonathan" were being called "Uncle Sam". Similarly, the appearance of both personifications varied wildly. For example, one depiction of Uncle Sam in 1860 showed him looking like Benjamin Franklin, while a contemporaneous depiction of Brother Jonathan looks more like the modern version of Uncle Sam, though without a goatee .
What does the US stand for in the story of the contractor and Uncle Sam?
When someone asked what that stood for, a co-worker jokingly said, " Elbert Anderson [the contractor] and Uncle Sam," referring to Wilson, though the "US" actually stood for United States. Doubts have been raised as to the authenticity of this story, as the claim did not appear in print until 1842.
