Bob's Your Uncle - Origin (theories)

Origin (theories)

A common explanation is that the phrase dates to 1887, when British Prime Minister Robert Cecil, Lord Salisbury decided to appoint Arthur Balfour to the prestigious and sensitive job of Chief Secretary for Ireland. Lord Salisbury was Arthur Balfour's uncle.

Another explanation is that it is related to the British General, Lord Roberts, nicknamed "Bobs." The British Army in India coined the term, "Bobs' your uncle" to indicate you had the good fortune of being related to the commanding general.

There have been several other slang expressions which included the word "bob," some associated with thievery or gambling, and, from the eighteenth century on, it was also a common generic name for someone one did not know. The difficulty with any of these explanations is that—despite extensive searching—the earliest known published uses of the phrase are from 1932, two from 1937, and two from 1938. (See these and other quotes in American Dialect Society list archived posts by Stephen Goranson.)