| Sayings Fact File |
| Phrase |
Bob's Your Uncle |
| Variations |
none |
| Meaning |
It is often used immediately following a set of simple instructions and carries roughly the same meaning as the phrase "and there you have it"; for example, "Simply put a piece of ham between two slices of bread, and Bob's your uncle." |
| Origin |
In 1887, British Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, appointed his nephew Arthur James Balfour as Minister for Ireland. The press had a field day when he referred to the Prime Minister as "Uncle Bob". Balfour later went on to become Prime Minister himself.
This theory claims that to have "Bob" as one's uncle is a guarantee of success, hence the implied meaning, "and if you do this, you cannot fail." Use of the phrase is not recorded until 1937, however, and, although the Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English suggests the phrase has been in use since the 1890s, there is no known example in print predating the entry.
Another theory is that the phrase derives from the slang "all is bob", which means "everything is good". |
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