# My brother's father-in-law is my what? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 3, 2007, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096 "2007-11-03T09:20:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096/1 "2007-11-03T09:20:06Z")
Title says it all, really. Is there a word for this relationship? ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096/2 "2007-11-03T11:40:38Z")
Yes. He would be your brother’s father-in-law. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096/3 "2007-11-03T13:03:17Z")
That’s four words. In English, no. In other languages, possibly. ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096/4 "2007-11-03T13:17:48Z")
My husband calls them “shirttail relatives.” By them I mean your brother’s father-in-law, and other not-quite-relatives that you feel related to because you are both related to the same people in different ways. I think it’s just something that he made up himself, but I kind of like it. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096/5 "2007-11-03T13:39:15Z")
In my case, that word would be “stranger.” I literally don’t even know if my brother’s father-in-law is alive. Never met the man as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096/6 "2007-11-03T13:40:40Z")
“Absolutely nothing.” ---
**Author:** ![Mycroft\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/898d66/32.png) [@Mycroft\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mycroft_H)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096/7 "2007-11-03T14:06:37Z")
I’ve wished for a word/term too. It’s the same thing with trying to refer to my wife’s sister-in-law. As mentioned by others, there is no English term for the relationship. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096/8 "2007-11-03T14:06:43Z")
“Acquaintance”. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096/9 "2007-11-03T14:27:31Z")
[QUOTE=John DiFool] “Absolutely nothing.” [/QUOTE] Your forgot the [Dark Helmet] tags. ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096/10 "2007-11-03T14:33:06Z")
[QUOTE=StuffLikeThatThere] My husband calls them “shirttail relatives.” By them I mean your brother’s father-in-law, and other not-quite-relatives that you feel related to because you are both related to the same people in different ways. I think it’s just something that he made up himself, but I kind of like it. [/QUOTE] “shirttail relatives” is a good term for such people, but if your husband made it up independently, he’s not the first or only one to do so. I’ve heard and read it in many places, though I can’t tell you how common or widespread it is. ---
**Author:** ![Soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096/11 "2007-11-03T14:34:27Z")
My family refers to such relations as “uncle-ish,” which is decidedly useless. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096/12 "2007-11-03T14:45:36Z")
I’ve been known to refer to my BIL’s brother (a.k.a. my sister’s BIL) as my “brother-in-law-in-law.” ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096/13 "2007-11-03T14:55:46Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] I’ve been known to refer to my BIL’s brother (a.k.a. my sister’s BIL) as my “brother-in-law-in-law.” [/QUOTE] You’re brother-in-law’s brother would also be your brother-in-law. Your sister’s brother-in-law would be different. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096/14 "2007-11-03T15:18:53Z")
He’s your sister in law’s father, you nitwit! Tris ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096/15 "2007-11-03T15:33:40Z")
I’m still tossing up between “complete and utter stranger” and “who cares” because I have used both interchangeably. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096/16 "2007-11-03T15:35:13Z")
[QUOTE=don’t ask] I’m still tossing up between “complete and utter stranger” and “who cares” because I have used both interchangeably. [/QUOTE] My wife calls her sister-in-law “horse face.” ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096/17 "2007-11-03T15:51:45Z")
A term I use, somewhat tongue in cheek, for my brother’s wife’s sister is sister-in-law once removed. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096/18 "2007-11-03T15:59:00Z")
We call my sister in law’s husband Jerry. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096/19 "2007-11-03T16:49:25Z")
[QUOTE=don’t ask] I’m still tossing up between “complete and utter stranger” and “who cares” because I have used both interchangeably. [/QUOTE] Sorry, I read that as “still tossing off” and got a very, very strange visual. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096/20 "2007-11-03T16:49:31Z")
[QUOTE=Mr Bus Guy] We call my sister in law’s husband Jerry. [/QUOTE] That sounds good. From now on we will call all of them Jerry. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-brothers-father-in-law-is-my-what/425096.md?page=2)