uncle

uncle
I. n
1.
British
a pawnbroker. A use of the word which arose in the 18th century, referring (probably ironically) to the mon-eylender's avuncular assistance. The term was still heard in London in the 1950s and may survive. From the 1980s it was heard in the British TV soap opera EastEnders.
2.
American
a cry of concession. To 'say uncle' or 'cry uncle' is to surrender or admit defeat, in playground games for instance. The reason for this choice of word is obscure.
3.
American
the law-enforcement estab-lishment when seen as benevolent, pro-tective or rewarding by crooks
All three main senses of the word derive from the notion of an uncle as a potential protector or provider of funds (in the third case perhaps reinforced by 'Uncle Sam'). There are many other examples of this, for instance in theatrical jargon where the word equates with 'angel'.
II. Uncle Dick
adj
British
sick. One of many rhyming-slang expressions using 'uncle' and a conven-ient rhyming Christian name.
► 'You look a bit uncle to me.' (Minder, British TV series, 1984)

Contemporary slang . 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Uncle B — Studio album by N Dubz Released 17 November 2008 …   Wikipedia

  • Uncle — Un cle, n. [OE. uncle, OF. oncle, uncle, F. oncle, fr. L. avunculus a maternal uncle, dim. of avus a grandfather; akin to Lith. avynas uncle, Goth. aw? grandmother, Icel. [=a]i great grandfather.] 1. The brother of one s father or mother; also… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • uncle — late 13c., from O.Fr. oncle, from L. avunculus mother s brother, lit. little grandfather, dim. of avus grandfather, from PIE root *awo grandfather, adult male relative other than one s father (Cf. Arm. hav grandfather, Lith. avynas maternal uncle …   Etymology dictionary

  • uncle — [uŋ′kəl] n. [OFr < L avunculus, one s mother s brother, dim. of * avo < IE * awos , maternal grandfather > OE eam, OHG oheim, uncle, L avus, grandfather] 1. the brother of one s father or mother 2. the husband of one s aunt 3. [Old… …   English World dictionary

  • Uncle Al — may refer to*Albert Moss, a Miami disk jockey known as DJ Uncle Al *Albert Lewis, host of the children s television program The Uncle Al Show broadcast from Cincinnati. *Aleister Crowley …   Wikipedia

  • uncle — ► NOUN ▪ the brother of one s father or mother or the husband of one s aunt. ORIGIN Old French oncle, from Latin avunculus maternal uncle …   English terms dictionary

  • Uncle Ho — Allgemeine Informationen Genre(s) Crossover, Pop Gründung 1994 Auflösung 30. Oktober 2004 Neugründung …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • uncle —    Used by a speaker to address the brother of his father or mother, or the husband of an aunt, an uncle in law.    The term is used alone, or followed by the first name of the man concerned, especially if the speaker is a child.    Usage varies… …   A dictionary of epithets and terms of address

  • uncle — [13] Uncle comes via Anglo Norman uncle and late Latin aunculus from Latin avunculus ‘mother’s brother, maternal uncle’ (source also of English avuncular [19]). This was a diminutive noun derived from the prehistoric base *aw ‘grandparent’, and… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • uncle — [13] Uncle comes via Anglo Norman uncle and late Latin aunculus from Latin avunculus ‘mother’s brother, maternal uncle’ (source also of English avuncular [19]). This was a diminutive noun derived from the prehistoric base *aw ‘grandparent’, and… …   Word origins

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