Hi gordonc:
I'm pretty sure that what you heard was either the British saying
"Bob's your uncle!" (or "Bob's yer uncle!") or something taken from
that popular saying. This saying can mean a few somewhat related
things, including:
* Everything will work out
* Something easy to achieve
* The job is complete
The following pages have some interesting explanations.
World Wide Words
URL: http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-bob1.htm
Quote: "This is another of those catchphrases which seem to arise out
of nowhere and have a period of fashion, in this case quite a long
one. We know that it began to be used in the 1880s in Britain. One
theory has it that it derives from the slang phrase all is bob,
meaning “all is safe”. But there have been several slang expressions
containing the word bob, some associated with thievery or gambling,
and around this time it was also a common generic name for somebody
you didn’t know. The most attractive theory is that it derives from a
prolonged act of political nepotism. The prime minister Lord Salisbury
(family name Robert Cecil, pronounced ) appointed his rather less than
popular nephew Arthur Balfour (later himself to be PM from 1902–11) to
a succession of posts. The first in 1887 was chief secretary of
Ireland, a post for which Balfour was considered unsuitable. The
consensus among the irreverent in Britain seems to have been that to
have Bob as your uncle guaranteed success, hence the expression and
the common meaning it preserves of something that is easy to achieve."
Word of the Day: Monday 18 February 2002
URL: http://www.abc.net.au/classic/breakfast/stories/s482026.htm
Quote: "The origin of the expression Bob's your uncle remains
something of a puzzle. All the best authorities say: 'origin unknown'.
There is a story associated with the expression, but the story doesn't
fit. As I explain in my book Kel Richards' WordWatch the story
concerns one Arthur James Balfour (1848-1930). Balfour was a British
politician, who became, first, Chief Secretary of Ireland, and then
(in 1902) Prime Minister. But why did he achieve such advancement?
Because, they said, his uncle was Robert, Lord Salisbury, a powerful
Tory statesman. It's good story, but it won't explain Bob's your uncle
because of the timing. Those events happened at the beginning of the
20th century and Bob's your uncle did not come into circulation until
the 1930s, so that story cannot be the source of that phrase. Hence,
the conclusion by all the books: 'origin unknown'. However, I have
another suggestion. A listener pointed out to me recently that she
knew the expression, in childhood, as Bob's your uncle and Fanny's
your aunt. If this is the original form of the phrase, it may explain
it - in the sense that its original meaning was "complete, the whole
lot". If Bob's your uncle and Fanny's your aunt you've got a full set
of relatives: complete. And when a job is finished and complete (or
when we're promising to finish and complete a task) we say: Bob's your
uncle."
FELICITOUS PHRASES
URL: http://www.idler.co.uk/html/frontsection/phrases/bobsyouruncle.htm
Quote: "This phrase, meaning everything will work out in the end,
refers to a political appointment made in 1887.
Britain's then Prime Minister Lord Salisbury (first name Robert) gave
the post of Secretary for Ireland to a man called Arthur Balfour who
was considered by many to be too young and naive for the post,
especially as the question of Irish Independence was being considered
at the time. The phrase entered common parlance because Balfour was
Lord Salisbury's nephew, hence 'Bob's your uncle'."
I hope this helps!
websearcher-ga
Search Strategy (on Google):
"my uncle bob"
"my uncle is bob"
"bob's your uncle"
"bob's your uncle" meaning |
