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- Where does the noun uncle come from? Earliest known use Middle English is a borrowing from French. Etymons: French oncle.
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The only facts we know for sure are that it’s strictly a North American phrase, and that it first appeared in written English in 1918. After that, opinions split on to how the custom developed. The...
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 ...
Uncle. An uncle is usually defined as a male relative who is a sibling of a parent or married to a sibling of a parent, as well as the parent of the cousins. Uncles who are related by birth are second-degree relatives. The female counterpart of an uncle is an aunt, and the reciprocal relationship is that of a nephew or niece.
uncle. (n.) 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 "grandfather ...
- 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.
Origin. There are several theories on the phrase's origin. Due to heavy Irish immigration in eastern Canada and New England in the 19th century, it is likely an anglicization of the Irish 'anacal', meaning deliverance or quarter. [2]
The earliest known use of the noun uncle is in the Middle English period (1150—1500). OED's earliest evidence for uncle is from around 1300, in St. Dunstan . uncle is a borrowing from French.
