say uncle
Featured
April 1, 2025
Say uncle has been a command given by a school-yard bully since the early 1900’s. But why would the word uncle make a bully stop hitting you? Some people think it comes from the Irish word for protection, anacol. Others cite a Roman phrase, Patrue, mi Patruissimo meaning ‘Uncle, my best Uncle’ which was also used to call off bullies. Others think it might just be a nonsense word or a joke about a parrot. But the meaning is clear - if you want the bully to stop hitting you, shout ‘Uncle’. Mental Floss
Rate of Appearance in English Language Print
Google's Ngram project shows how often a pair of words has appeared in print every year since the 1800's.
Data from Google Books Ngram Viewer. Licensed under CC BY 3.0.
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