Bob's your uncle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bob's your uncle is a commonly used expression known mainly in Britain and Commonwealth countries. It is often used immediately following a set of simple instructions and roughly carries the same meaning as the phrase "and there you have it." For example, "Simply put a piece of ham between two slices of bread, and Bob’s your uncle.”
[edit] Etymology
In 1887, British Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, appointed his nephew Arthur James Balfour as Minister for Ireland. The press had a field day when he referred to the Prime Minister as “Uncle Bob”.[1] Balfour later went on to become Prime Minister himself. This theory claims that to have "Bob" as one's uncle is a guarantee of success, hence the implied meaning, "and if you do this, you cannot fail." Another theory is that the phrase derives from the slang "all is bob", which means "everything is good".[2]
[edit] Variations
A variation of this saying is also "Robert's your father's brother." It is used in the same context as "Bob's your uncle" and is meant to put a spin on the commonly used phrase. Another more elaborate version is "Bob's your Uncle, Fanny's your Aunt".
In the episode entitled "Nasty" of the The Young Ones (TV series), the character Mike utters the variation "and bob's your aunty's live-in lover."
A number of Discworld novels, notably Guards! Guards!, use the phrase to confusion, as the characters in question often do not have uncles named "Bob" and Discworld is a rather literal society.
