Cry "Uncle" and let slip the cowardice of bullies!

[FarmGirl]

This is but a small frustration, it will go away.
Does anyone know the origin of the tradional demand of the word "uncle" when being beaten to a lumpy mass?

[Gypsy]

Not I. That is rather odd when I think about it ...

[Silvanis]

Good question. *ponders*

[Stephen]

It beats. "OH MOMMY"

[Shinja]

becuase if you dont the pain will continue!

[Nate]

From Word Detective:

The last time someone asked about "uncle," I mentioned a marvelous book called "The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren," an exhaustive study of schoolyard rituals and folklore in Great Britain written by Iona and Peter Opie and published by Oxford University Press. I was somewhat surprised to discover the Opies do not list the "cry uncle" ritual in their book. A quick check of the New Shorter Oxford dictionary, however, revealed that "cry uncle" is largely a North American ritual.

Checking other sources for the origins of "cry uncle" does provide support for one of the Opies' most interesting assertions, that childhood games and rituals are often hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of years old. It seems that while "crying uncle" is today regarded as an Americanism, its origins go all the way back to the Roman Empire. Roman children, when beset by a bully, would be forced to say "Patrue, mi Patruissimo," or "Uncle, my best Uncle," in order to surrender and be freed.

As to precisely "why" bullies force their victims to "cry uncle," opinions vary. It may be that the ritual is simply a way of making the victim call out for help from a grownup, thus proving his or her helplessness. Alternatively, it may have started as a way of forcing the victim to grant the bully a title of respect -- in Roman times, your father's brother was accorded nearly the same power and status as your father. The form of "uncle" used in the Latin phrase ("patrue") tends to support this theory, inasmuch as it specifically denoted your paternal uncle, as opposed to the brother of your mother ("avunculus"), who occupied a somewhat lower rung in patrilineal Roman society.

[Gypsy]

Tapping out always worked for me ...

[Raiden no Kishi]

I'd prefer to feign surrender, then draw a concealed .45 when they release me.

Check and mate.

.rai//

[Link Antilles]

I'm not even sure if there is a definite answer for when it start being used... however, it's believed to have started being used in the earlier 1900s in America (possibility Britain). But why uncle? Who knowes. I'm not a Latin expert, but there could be a word similar to uncle that means sanctuary or protections. If not, maybe in Irish, French, or German...

Edit: *looks at Kae's post* Heh, I never guess it went that far back. Wow.

[Yumie]

Well, all I can say to whoever did start the tradition is this: YOU. ARE. MY. HERO. This is a simple and yet potent tool that sisters all around the world can use against their younger brothers when they are, as usual, annoying the pee out of you. Then, when mom comes and and says, "Why did you hurt your brother so badly?" We can say, "Mom, I told him all he had to do was say 'uncle' and I would stop, but his pride got in the way. All I'm doing is giving him a lesson in humility." The argument itself never REALLY works, but it usually distracts mom long enough for me to run away.

[Scribs]

I have always wondered that, though it is odd to think that it could have been carried all the way from the Roman Empire. It almost seems impossible. *Shrug*