Bob's your uncle

by Lucky
(Skippack, PA)

"Bob's your uncle" is a way of saying "you're all set" or "there you go." It is much like the French expression Viola.

The Brits use this one a lot and I think it’s funny. The first time my friend David used it I laughed and asked him to repeat it.

For example, if asking someone how to make toast they might say, “Plug it in, put your bread in this slot, slide this knob down, and Bob’s your uncle”.

The saying may date back to 1887, when British Prime Minister Robert Cecil (a.k.a. Lord Salisbury) appointed Arthur Balfour to the post of Chief Secretary for Ireland. Robert Cecil happened to be Arthur Balfour’s "Uncle Bob". This did not make the public happy and "Bob's your uncle" became a popular sarcastic comment that was used to express nepotism.

Another theory according to worldwidewords.org is that it comes from the slang phrase all is bob, meaning that everything is safe, pleasant or satisfactory.

I know a lot of Bob's myself, Bob's my father, Bob's my brother, Bob's my cousin, and Bob is my Godfather, and my uncle. No, they are not all the same Bob, it's just a name my family obviously liked. Maybe there are so many Bobs in the world one is bound to be your uncle.