Meaning
Admit defeat, surrender, or ask for an ordeal to stop. Current informal expression, often associated with children's contests Regional use: United States and Canada.
Origin
A North American slang phrase that developed from a widely reprinted 1891 joke about a parrot forced to say uncle, then forcing barnyard birds to do the same. A 1903 American cartoon already transfers the wording to making a person submit, and the clear surrender sense is printed in a 1912 basketball report. The proposed derivation from Irish anacol, meaning protection, is unsupported by intermediate forms or Irish usage.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- cry uncle
- holler uncle
- make someone say uncle
Usage Examples
- Theo held the lid down until his laughing brother finally said uncle.
- The negotiators refused to cry uncle even after midnight.