# "Crying Uncle"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crying-uncle/557867>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 21, 2010, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crying-uncle/557867 "2010-10-21T07:20:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Paragonkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c0e974/32.png) [@Paragonkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paragonkid)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crying-uncle/557867/1 "2010-10-21T07:20:49Z")

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Well this is a bit of a weird one but, where did the saying “Crying uncle” come from? It seems really odd and me and my friends have been theorising on the origins, there is a cookie involved and I would much like to know if I won it.

Any ideas anyone?

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**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crying-uncle/557867/2 "2010-10-21T10:52:34Z")

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It’s “Crying ‘Uncle’” meaning acknowledging that the winner is your superior (your ‘Uncle’).

Site: [Issue of November 27, 2001](http://www.word-detective.com/112701.html)

or maybe it’s a reference to a long forgotten joke about a talking bird, of which only the punchline has survived

> **[World Wide Words: Say (or cry) uncle](http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-say1.htm)**
>
> Where does 'say uncle' come from?

Cecil?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Paragonkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c0e974/32.png) [@Paragonkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paragonkid)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crying-uncle/557867/3 "2010-10-22T05:08:48Z")

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Hmm…thanks…It seems I didn’t win that cookie after all. (In fact, none of us did).  
oh, thanks for the references too!