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- The Latin expression "Patrue, mi Patruissimo," which means 'Uncle, my best Uncle,' was allegedly spoken by children when they wanted to beg for mercy during a game or jest.
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Where did the phrase 'Uncle my Best of uncles' come from?
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Who is 'Bob's Your Uncle'?
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A less likely theory is that it derives from a phrase uttered by youngsters in the Roman empire who got into trouble, patrue mi patruissime (“uncle, my best of uncles”). [1] 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.
Nov 28, 1998 · If that sounds unlikely, try a theory that William and Mary Morris turned up, that it goes back to a Latin expression used by Roman youngsters who got into trouble: patrue mi patruissime “uncle, my best of uncles”. It may be rather more probable that it’s a requirement that the person should cry for his uncle in order to be let free.
Salisbury is widely believed to be the Uncle Bob that the expression refers to. ‘Bob’s your uncle’ is said to derive from the supposed nepotism of Lord Salisbury, in appointing a favourite nephew, Arthur Balfour, to several political posts in the 1880s. uncle’.
Jun 30, 2023 · One suggested origin for the phrase leads us back to ancient Rome. The Latin expression "Patrue, mi Patruissimo," which means 'Uncle, my best Uncle,' was allegedly spoken by children when they wanted to beg for mercy during a game or jest. However, there's no concrete evidence supporting this theory.
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 ...
Dec 15, 2023 · Pleased As Punch. Meaning: Feeling great delight or pride. Origin: A puppet show in the 17th century called ‘Punch and Judy’ featured a puppet named Punch, who killed people and took great joy in doing so. He would feel pleased with himself afterwards, from which the saying ‘pleased as Punch’ was born.
Origin. Robert "Bob" Cecil. The origins are uncertain, but a common hypothesis is that the expression arose after Conservative Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury ("Bob") appointed his nephew Arthur Balfour as Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1887, an act of nepotism, which was apparently both surprising and unpopular.
