| Title: | The Joy of Lex |
| Notice: | A Notes File even your grammar could love |
| Moderator: | THEBAY::SYSTEM |
| Created: | Fri Feb 28 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Mon Jun 02 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 1192 |
| Total number of notes: | 42769 |
Ever since I was a kid I can remember using the term "Uncle" to mean "I give up" or "I surrender". Where I grew up (Syracuse) it was common to overhear in a childhood "fight", the winning party asking the underdog if they'd "Say Uncle". Was this more than a regional colloquialism? Have others heard it, and does anyone know the origin of the expression? -Jack
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1034.1 | Any OED reference? | TLE::JBISHOP | Wed Mar 24 1993 07:46 | 4 | |
Well, in _Catch_22_, saying "Uncle" is featured in one of the
anecdotes, so I suspect it's both old (pre WWII) and wide-spread.
-John Bishop
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| 1034.2 | JIT081::DIAMOND | Pardon me? Or must I be a criminal? | Wed Mar 24 1993 17:16 | 2 | |
It's been around for quite a while. The Politically Correct form
now is "Parent's Sibling".
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