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What does Cry Uncle mean?
What does it mean if a child says 'Uncle'?
Why do people cry for their uncle?
When did cry uncle come out?
cry uncle. 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. See also: cry, uncle.
cry uncle. Also, say uncle. Concede defeat, as in The Serbs want the Bosnians to cry uncle, or If you say uncle right now, I'll let you go first in the next game. 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 ...
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.
Feb 21, 2011 · 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...
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 ...
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. See also: cry, uncle. Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved. cry uncle. Also, say uncle.
Cry-uncle Definition. (US, idiomatic) To beg for mercy; to give up; to ask to stop (something painful or unbearable). Anyone who doesn't cry uncle after the first week will probably last the season. Find similar words to cry-uncle using the buttons below.