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- Originally, this comes from children’s games in which the child has to say the word ‘uncle’ to admit defeat.
idioms.thefreedictionary.com › cry+uncle
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Feb 21, 2011 · 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 ...
Nov 28, 1998 · This call by one child for another to submit or cry for mercy — which appears variously as say uncle!, cry uncle! or holler 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 ...
A fanciful suggestion is that it may be based on a joke from 19th-century England about a bullied parrot being coaxed to address his owner's uncle. [1] [3] Another suggested origin is from the English phrase “time out”, a plea to cease hostilities.
This phrase originated about 1900 as an imperative among school-children who would say, “Cry uncle when you've had enough (of a beating).” By the mid-1900s it was being used figuratively, as in the examples.
- kmenza@hearst.com
- "Go bananas" Monkeys may be our genetic brethren, but they act a little crazier than humans do. Hence the phrase "go ape," which some linguists believe led to "go bananas," as they are stereotypically the favorite snack of apes.
- "Toot your own horn" Back in the sixteenth century, the arrival of a VIP into town was signaled by the trumpeting of horns. If a person blows their own horns (or toots them), it's still seen as being proud or arrogant.
- "Sit tight" This phrase's history doesn't seem to be all that complicated: A person who is sitting literally tightly will be unmoved. If someone asks you to sit tight, they want you to take no further action until told otherwise.
- "Up in the air" This phrase is particularly poetic: If something's up in the air, it's floating around, or not settled. Apparently, English speakers said just "in the air" until the 1800s or so.
Feb 25, 2019 · Etymology: It is a 20th century American phrase, which became popular later on. It is not known why the expression has “uncle” and not “aunt “or any other word suggesting surrendering or giving up. It might have originated from ancient Rome or Ireland. In old Irish the word for protection is anacol (that sounds like uncle).
Origin of the phrase: Next . ace up your sleeve
