Say Uncle
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For other uses, see Say Uncle (disambiguation).
"Say 'uncle'!" is a North American expression demanding that the opponent in a contest submits. The response "Uncle!" is equivalent to "I give up" and indicates submission. There are two theories as to the origin of the term; one relates to the Roman Empire when a bullied child would be forced to say "Patrue, mi Patruissimo," or, "Uncle, my best Uncle," in order to surrender; alternatively the expression may have originated in a 19th-century English joke about a bullied parrot. This use of this term is also very common in Arabian Peninsula countries "gol aami" "say uncle" "قول عمي".
Definition[edit]
In the United States and Canada, the idiomatic expression "Say 'uncle'!" may be used as an imperative command to demand submission of one's opponent, such as during an informal wrestling match. Similarly, the exclamation "Uncle!" is an indication of submission – analogous to "I give up" – or it may be a cry for mercy, in such a game or match.[1]
Origin[edit]
Although it is often regarded as an Americanism, there are at least two differing theories as to the true origin of the phrase: ancient Rome and 19th-century in England.
The Roman Empire theory says, Roman children, when beset by a bully, would be forced to say the Latin phrase, "Patrue, mi Patruissimo," or, "Uncle, my best Uncle," in order to surrender and be freed. [2]
There are various opinions as to the reason that Roman bullies forced their victims to "cry 'Uncle!'". It may be that it was simply a way of making the victim call out for help from a grownup, thus proving his or her weakness. Alternatively, it may have started as a way of forcing the victim to grant the victor a title of respect – as in "Call me Uncle!" — for in Roman times, one's father's brother was accorded nearly the same power and status as one's father. The chosen form of the Latin word for "uncle" ("patrue") tends to support this theory, in that it specifically denotes the paternal uncle – as opposed to the brother of one's mother ("avunculus"), who occupied a somewhat lower rung in patrilineal Roman society.[2]
The 19th-century England theory says it comes from an English joke about a bullied parrot being coaxed to address his owner's uncle.[3][4][5]
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Say (or cry) uncle, World Wide Words
^ Jump up to: a b Say Uncle, The Word Detective
Jump up ^ Say (or cry) uncle, World Wide Words
Jump up ^ Safire, William (2011-11-16). "Uncle cries "Uncle"". Language Maven Strikes Again. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 030780058X.
Jump up ^ Wilton, Dave (2007-03-11). "say uncle". Wordorigins.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Say_Uncle&oldid=793829455"
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li
style
html
local
ul
id
footer-places
html
local
img
src srcset width height alt
/static/images/wikimedia-button.png /static/images/wikimedia-button-1.5x.png 1.5x, /static/images/wikimedia-button-2x.png 2x 88 31 Wikimedia Foundation
html
local
a
href
https://wikimediafoundation.org/
html
local
li
id
footer-copyrightico
html
local
img
src alt srcset width height
/static/images/poweredby_mediawiki_88x31.png Powered by MediaWiki /static/images/poweredby_mediawiki_132x47.png 1.5x, /static/images/poweredby_mediawiki_176x62.png 2x 88 31
html
local
a
href
//www.mediawiki.org/
html
local
li
id
footer-poweredbyico
html
local
ul
id class
footer-icons noprint
html
local
div
style
clear:both
html
local
div
id role
footer contentinfo
html
local
div
class
suggestions-results
html
local
div
class
suggestions-special
html
local
div
class style
suggestions display: none; font-size: 13px;
html
local
polygon
points
0 8, 10 8, 18 0, 26 8, 1000 8, 1000 1000, 0 1000
html
local
clippath
id
mwe-popups-mask
html
local
polygon
points
0 8, 274 8, 282 0, 290 8, 1000 8, 1000 1000, 0 1000
html
local
clippath
id
mwe-popups-mask-flip
html
local
polygon
points
0 8, 174 8, 182 0, 190 8, 1000 8, 1000 1000, 0 1000
html
local
clippath
id
mwe-popups-landscape-mask
html
local
polygon
points
0 0, 1000 0, 1000 242, 190 242, 182 250, 174 242, 0 242
html
local
clippath
id
mwe-popups-landscape-mask-flip
html
local
defs
html
local
svg
width height
0 0
html
local
div
id
mwe-popups-svg
html
local
body
class
mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject page-Say_Uncle rootpage-Say_Uncle vector-experimental-print-styles vector-nav-directionality skin-vector action-view
html
local