Bob's Your Uncle - or is he?
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (366143)
Rockingham, Australia
October 8, 2024 5:03am CST
We’ve just returned from two enjoyable nights staying with my brother-in-law. While we were chatting, someone said ‘... and Bob’s your uncle’. Being me, I had to say why don’t we say ‘… and Maud’s your aunt’ rather than ‘Bob’s your uncle’.
I didn’t take my laptop with me but now we’re home and I’ve googled the origins of the phrase. It seems it might have come after the Conservative Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, appointed his nephew Arthur Balfour as Chief Secretary for Ireland.
It describes an action or instruction which was accomplished in an easy or quicker way than would be expected. Other sayings meaning the same are: ‘easy peasy’, ‘piece of cake’, or ‘it’s a doddle’. And apparently, the full version of the saying is ‘Bob’s your uncle and Fanny’s your aunt’.
So now we all know.
The photo is of a callistemon, which has the common name of ‘bottle-brush’. It’s easy to see why, isn’t it?
I didn’t take my laptop with me but now we’re home and I’ve googled the origins of the phrase. It seems it might have come after the Conservative Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, appointed his nephew Arthur Balfour as Chief Secretary for Ireland.
It describes an action or instruction which was accomplished in an easy or quicker way than would be expected. Other sayings meaning the same are: ‘easy peasy’, ‘piece of cake’, or ‘it’s a doddle’. And apparently, the full version of the saying is ‘Bob’s your uncle and Fanny’s your aunt’.
So now we all know.
The photo is of a callistemon, which has the common name of ‘bottle-brush’. It’s easy to see why, isn’t it?15 people like this
15 responses
@allknowing (154024)
• India
9 Oct 24
The bottle brush tree at our gate used to bloom profusely until that mini tornado. I
Good I captured it in a video, It will never bloom that way again
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1 person likes this
@JudyEv (366143)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Oct 24
@allknowing Did you plant another? I guess maybe there wasn't any point.
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (21277)
• United States
8 Oct 24
pretty plant. I didn't know that. I have heard of that saying though.
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (21277)
• United States
15 Oct 24
@JudyEv I have heard part of it from tv.
1 person likes this
@thislittlepennyearns (65846)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
10 Oct 24
I've spent the last five minutes trying to decide if I had an uncle bob. I do. I have a 'great' uncle Bobby, I mean it's technically Robert, but he's been Bobby my whole life so surely someone has called him Bob in his life.
1 person likes this
@thislittlepennyearns (65846)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
10 Oct 24
@JudyEv Actually I'm not sure he's still alive. So I have/had an uncle named Bob.
Lol
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (50815)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
8 Oct 24
My Aunt Vi married a guy named Bob, so I guess Bob was my uncle, but I didn't like him.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (199263)
• United States
8 Oct 24
I don't think I've heard that one before, same as travelling for feeling. They never translated over here I guess.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (199263)
• United States
9 Oct 24
@JudyEv Yes, or it may not be the exact saying but we have alot of similar sayings here too. Some of them seem to have gone around the world, but maybe in a different format.
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (90798)
• Arvada, Colorado
9 Oct 24
I know the saying well. Said it a lot in England Judy.
Yes thanks for the history of it though, didn't know where it originated.
Always fun to find those things out.
Love that bush in the photo too. Yes, I could use it here to clean out the bottles.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (366143)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Oct 24
The saying doesn't seem to be known much at all in America, strangely enough.
@anya12adwi (10264)
• India
8 Oct 24
I did not that's a phrase and its meaning is kinda weird! Don't you think? 
1 person likes this
@somewitch (1471)
•
8 Oct 24
I love how bright these flowers are. Yes, they do look like bottle brushes.
I wasn't familiar with the phrase either. I would have never guessed it meant what it does.
I wasn't familiar with the phrase either. I would have never guessed it meant what it does.1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (206907)
• United States
8 Oct 24
I haven't heard of that phrase and it's a doddle. That's a lovely bottle brush. Have a good day.
1 person likes this
