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{{Use British English|date=November 2024}}
{{Otheruses}}
{{Short description|British phrase}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
]
"'''Bob's your uncle'''" is an ] commonly used in the United Kingdom and ] that means "and there it is", or "and there you have it", or "it's done". Typically, someone says it to conclude a set of simple instructions or when a result is reached. The meaning is similar to that of the French expression "{{lang|fr|et voilà!}}".


== Origin ==
'''Bob's your uncle''' is a commonly used expression known mainly in Britain, Ireland and Commonwealth nations. 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, "To make a ham sandwich, simply put a piece of ham between two slices of buttered bread, and Bob's your uncle."
]
The origins are uncertain, but a common hypothesis is that the expression arose after ] Prime Minister ] ("Bob") appointed his nephew ] as ] in 1887, an act of ], which was apparently both surprising and unpopular. Whatever other qualifications Balfour might have had, "Bob's your uncle" was seen as the conclusive one.<ref>{{cite book |author=Langguth, A. J. |url=https://archive.org/details/sakilifeofhector00lang |title=Saki: Life of Hector Hugh Munro |date=1981 |isbn=9780241106785 |page=69 |publisher=Hamish Hamilton Limited |author-link=A. J. Langguth |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hendrickson |first1=Robert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S1YkAQAAMAAJ |title=The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins |date=2008 |publisher=Facts on File |isbn=9780816069668 |language=en}}</ref>


A suggested weakness in this hypothesis is that the first documented usage of "Bob's Your Uncle" is in the title of a new song in an advertisement for Herman Darewski Music Publishing Co., published in ''The Stage'' (London) on 11 January 1923.<ref>
==Etymology==
{{cite web |last=Tréguer |first=Pascal |date=4 June 2018 |title=MEANING, ORIGIN & HISTORY OF 'BOB'S YOUR UNCLE' |url=https://wordhistories.net/2018/06/04/bobs-your-uncle/ |access-date=10 March 2023 |website=Word Histories}}</ref> In one author's opinion, if Salisbury's notorious nepotism toward Balfour in the 1880s had been so widely spoken of to inspire a popular phrase, it is unlikely that it would have taken nearly forty years for it to appear in print for the first time.<ref>
It is a catchphrase dating back to 1887, when British Prime Minister ] decided to appoint ] to the prestigious and sensitive post of ]. Not lost on the British public was the fact that Lord Salisbury just happened to be better known to Arthur Balfour as "Uncle Bob". In the resulting furore over what was seen as an act of blatant ], "Bob's your uncle" became a popular sarcastic comment applied to any situation where the outcome was preordained by favouritism.<ref>http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=P4gCzZsOY0UC&pg=PA75&lpg=PA75&dq=charles+dickens+%22bob's+your+uncle%22&source=bl&ots=bPy-6rUuqQ&sig=JF3W-4A4m1K0gsFkRKsfmjYdj1I&hl=en&ei=GdzbSbu0DoTUjAfj_4nCCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2 Doug Lennox, ''Now You Know More: The Book of Answers'', Dundum Press, 2004, p. 75</ref><ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/empire/episodes/episode_78.shtml BBC Radio 4 Empire, EPISODE 78 - 31/05/06 </ref> As the scandal faded from public memory, the phrase lost its edge and became just a synonym for "no problem."
{{cite web |last=Quinion |first=Michael |date=19 October 2015 |title=Bob's your uncle |url=https://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-bob1.htm |access-date=21 October 2020 |website=World Wide Words}}</ref>


== Synonyms and variations ==
==Usage==
{{Unreferenced section|date=March 2024}}
In some places in Britain, "Bob's your uncle" is also a way of saying "you're all set", "you've got it made!" or "that's great!" and is used as an expression of jubilation at good fortune. It is used thus in the ] film '']'', a version of the classic Dickens story '']'', where a reformed ] confronts his housekeeper, Mrs Dilber, on Christmas morning. He gives her a ] (£1.05 in that era, and equivalent to about $100 today) as a Christmas present, and announces he will significantly raise her salary. In a burst of excitement the housekeeper responds, “Bob’s yer uncle! Merry Christmas, Mr Scrooge, in keeping with the situation!”<ref>http://babyduckagreatcanadianwhine.blogspot.com/2004_12_01_archive.html quoting the UK newspaper, ''The Guardian'' from 23 December 1999</ref>. However, this may be an anachronism, as ''A Christmas Carol'' was first published by Dickens in 1843 and the expression might not have been in use prior to 1890.
]]]
Expressions of self-satisfaction or pride or delight at the end of a sentence describing an action, a situation, an instruction, or direction, especially when it seems easier or quicker than expected:
* A long version is '''Bob's your uncle and Fanny's your aunt'''. Versions sometimes spell "your" as "yer."
Expressions with a stronger emphasis on easiness or delight:
* '''Piece of cake''', an informal expression for something very easy.
* '''It's a doddle''', another slang expression for something very easy or '''it's a cinch'''.
* '''Easy peasy''', a childish expression for something very easy.


Expressions with a stronger emphasis on self-satisfaction or pride of achievement or just delight:
Usage has also evolved to the expressions "Robert's your father's brother", "Robert's your auntie's husband" and "Robert's your mother's brother" as synonymous phrases.
* '''Job done''', something said when someone has achieved something, especially when it seems easier or quicker than expected.
* '''Job's a good'un''', similar slang meaning "and there you go", or "it's done with!", or "it's finished with", or "it is completed to everyone's satisfaction".
* '''Lovely jubbly''', made famous by 'Del Boy' the main character from long-running English sitcom '']'', "lovely jubbly" refers to "lovely job", or "great", or "good news", or "it is completed to everyone's satisfaction or profit".
* '''It's in the bag''', meaning "job done", or "and there you go", or "great job!", or "it's all yours!", or "it's completed to your own benefit!"
* '''Back of the net''', literally meaning "goal" or "success!", but used for "great", or "victory at last", or "result!", or "it's completed to your own satisfaction!"


==See also== ==See also==
* ], inspiration for "everything's all Sir Garnet"
*]


==References== ==References==
{{Wiktionary|Bob's your uncle}}
{{Reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==Further reading==
* {{cite book
| last =Turner-Lord
| first =Jann
| title =Bob's your uncle: a dictionary of slang for British mystery fans
| publisher =Fithian Press
| year =1992
| page =62
| isbn =9781564740229
| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=MPaYTLTrh_YC
| id =9781564740229 }}

{{Arthur Balfour|state=collapsed}}
{{Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury}}

]
]
] ]
] ]
]

Latest revision as of 21:23, 5 January 2025

British phrase For other uses, see Bob's your uncle (disambiguation).

Early appearance of "Bob's your uncle" in print, an advertisement in the Dundee Evening Telegraph on 19 June 1924

"Bob's your uncle" is an idiom commonly used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries that means "and there it is", or "and there you have it", or "it's done". Typically, someone says it to conclude a set of simple instructions or when a result is reached. The meaning is similar to that of the French expression "et voilà!".

Origin

Robert "Bob" Cecil

The origins are uncertain, but a common hypothesis is that the expression arose after Conservative Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury ("Bob") appointed his nephew Arthur Balfour as Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1887, an act of nepotism, which was apparently both surprising and unpopular. Whatever other qualifications Balfour might have had, "Bob's your uncle" was seen as the conclusive one.

A suggested weakness in this hypothesis is that the first documented usage of "Bob's Your Uncle" is in the title of a new song in an advertisement for Herman Darewski Music Publishing Co., published in The Stage (London) on 11 January 1923. In one author's opinion, if Salisbury's notorious nepotism toward Balfour in the 1880s had been so widely spoken of to inspire a popular phrase, it is unlikely that it would have taken nearly forty years for it to appear in print for the first time.

Synonyms and variations

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
Portrait of Arthur Balfour by John Singer Sargent

Expressions of self-satisfaction or pride or delight at the end of a sentence describing an action, a situation, an instruction, or direction, especially when it seems easier or quicker than expected:

  • A long version is Bob's your uncle and Fanny's your aunt. Versions sometimes spell "your" as "yer."

Expressions with a stronger emphasis on easiness or delight:

  • Piece of cake, an informal expression for something very easy.
  • It's a doddle, another slang expression for something very easy or it's a cinch.
  • Easy peasy, a childish expression for something very easy.

Expressions with a stronger emphasis on self-satisfaction or pride of achievement or just delight:

  • Job done, something said when someone has achieved something, especially when it seems easier or quicker than expected.
  • Job's a good'un, similar slang meaning "and there you go", or "it's done with!", or "it's finished with", or "it is completed to everyone's satisfaction".
  • Lovely jubbly, made famous by 'Del Boy' the main character from long-running English sitcom Only Fools And Horses, "lovely jubbly" refers to "lovely job", or "great", or "good news", or "it is completed to everyone's satisfaction or profit".
  • It's in the bag, meaning "job done", or "and there you go", or "great job!", or "it's all yours!", or "it's completed to your own benefit!"
  • Back of the net, literally meaning "goal" or "success!", but used for "great", or "victory at last", or "result!", or "it's completed to your own satisfaction!"

See also

References

  1. Langguth, A. J. (1981). Saki: Life of Hector Hugh Munro. Hamish Hamilton Limited. p. 69. ISBN 9780241106785.
  2. Hendrickson, Robert (2008). The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins. Facts on File. ISBN 9780816069668.
  3. Tréguer, Pascal (4 June 2018). "MEANING, ORIGIN & HISTORY OF 'BOB'S YOUR UNCLE'". Word Histories. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  4. Quinion, Michael (19 October 2015). "Bob's your uncle". World Wide Words. Retrieved 21 October 2020.

Further reading

Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
Premiership
General elections
Constituencies
Family
Career
In popular culture
See also
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
Premiership
General elections
Constituency
Family
Career
In popular culture
See also
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