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      • 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 figuratively, as in the examples.
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  2. 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 ...

  3. Oct 2, 2013 · Cry Uncle is to ask for mercy or an act of surrender

  4. The title itself, “Cry Uncle,” implies surrender and seeking refuge. It’s an admission that sometimes we need to let our guard down and ask for help when we feel overwhelmed. Throughout the song, the lyrics evoke a sense of desperation and longing.

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  5. 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. Discover More. Example Sentences.

  6. 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 ...

  7. 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. See also: cry, uncle. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

  8. Dictionary; Blog; Idiomology. cry uncle. Facebook Email. Meaning of the phrase:-admit defeat · Origin of the phrase: Next . ace up your sleeve.

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