Bob's Your Uncle - Wikipedia

British phrase For other uses, see Bob's your uncle (disambiguation).

"Bob's your uncle" is an idiom commonly used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries that means "and there it is", "and there you have it" or "it's done". Typically, someone says it to conclude a set of simple instructions or when a result is reached. The meaning is similar to that of the French expression "et voilà!".

Origin

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The origins are uncertain, but a common hypothesis is that the expression arose after Conservative Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury ("Bob"), appointed his nephew Arthur Balfour as Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1887, an act of nepotism, which was apparently both surprising and unpopular. Whatever other qualifications Balfour might have had, "Bob's your uncle" was seen as the conclusive one.[1][2]

A suggested weakness in this hypothesis is that the first documented usage of "Bob's Your Uncle" is in the title of a new song in an advertisement for Herman Darewski Music Publishing Co., published in The Stage (London) on 11 January 1923.[3] In one author's opinion, if Salisbury's notorious nepotism toward Balfour in the 1880s had been so widely spoken of to inspire a popular phrase, it is unlikely that it would have taken nearly forty years for it to appear in print for the first time.[4]

Synonyms and variations

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Expressions of self-satisfaction or pride or delight at the end of a sentence describing an action, a situation, an instruction, or direction, especially when it seems easier or quicker than expected:

• A humorous or facetious gender-switching variant is "Roberta's your aunt" (or auntie).
• A long version is "Bob's your uncle and Fanny's your aunt". Versions sometimes spell your as yer.

Expressions with a stronger emphasis on easiness or delight:

• "Piece of cake", an informal expression for something very easy.
• "It's a dawdle", "it's a doddle"[5] and "it's a cinch",[6] other slang expressions for something very easy.
• "Easy peasy", a childish expression for something very easy.

Expressions with a stronger emphasis on self-satisfaction or pride of achievement or just delight:

• "Job done", something said when someone has achieved something, especially when it seems easier or quicker than expected.
• "Job's a good'un", similar slang meaning "and there you go", or "it's done with!", or "it's finished with", or "it is completed to everyone's satisfaction".
• "Lovely jubbly", made famous by 'Del Boy' the main character from long-running British sitcom Only Fools And Horses, "lovely jubbly" refers to "lovely job", or "great", or "good news", or "it is completed to everyone's satisfaction or profit".[7]
• "It's in the bag", meaning "job done", or "and there you go", or "great job!", or "it's all yours!", or "it's completed to your own benefit!"
• "Back of the net", literally meaning "goal" or "success!", but used for "great", or "victory at last", or "result!", or "it's completed to your own satisfaction!"

See also

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• Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley, inspiration for "everything's all Sir Garnet"

References

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1. ^ Langguth, A. J. (1981). Saki: Life of Hector Hugh Munro. Hamish Hamilton Limited. p. 69. ISBN 9780241106785.
2. ^ Hendrickson, Robert (2008). The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins. Facts on File. ISBN 9780816069668.
3. ^ Tréguer, Pascal (4 June 2018). "MEANING, ORIGIN & HISTORY OF 'BOB'S YOUR UNCLE'". Word Histories. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
4. ^ Quinion, Michael (19 October 2015). "Bob's your uncle". World Wide Words. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
5. ^ "DODDLE | English meaning". Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
6. ^ "CINCH - English meaning". Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
7. ^ "John Sullivan phrases: 10 of the best". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 26 July 2025.

Further reading

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• Turner-Lord, Jann (1992). Bob's your uncle: a dictionary of slang for British mystery fans. Fithian Press. p. 62. ISBN 9781564740229. 9781564740229.

External links

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• The dictionary definition of Bob's your uncle at Wiktionary

v t e Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour
Premiership	1902–1905
General elections	1906 January 1910 December 1910
Constituencies	Hertford Manchester East City of London
Family	James Maitland Balfour (father) Alice Blanche Balfour (sister) Eleanor Mildred Sidgwick (sister) Eustace Balfour (brother) Francis Maitland Balfour (brother) Gerald Balfour (brother) Frances Balfour (sister-in-law) James Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury (grandfather) Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (uncle)
Career	Entente Cordiale Committee of Imperial Defence Balfour Mission Balfour Declaration Washington Naval Treaty Balfour Declaration of 1926
In popular culture	Clara in Blunderland (book, 1902) Lost in Blunderland (book, 1903) Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill (TV, 1974) Edward the Seventh (TV, 1975)
See also	February 1906 City of London by-election Arthur Balfour Professor of Genetics Balfouria Earl of Balfour Bob's your uncle The Souls Whittingehame

v t e Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
Premiership	1885–1886 1886-1892 1895-1902
General elections	1885 1886 1892 1895 1900
Constituency	Stamford
Family	Georgina Gascoyne-Cecil, Marchioness of Salisbury (wife) Lord Eustace Cecil (brother) James Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury (father) Maud Palmer, Countess of Selborne (daughter) Lady Gwendolen Cecil (daughter) James Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury (son) Lord William Cecil (son) Robert Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood (son) Lord Edward Cecil (son) Hugh Cecil, 1st Baron Quickswood (son) Arthur Balfour (nephew)
Career	Congress of Berlin Housing of the Working Classes Act 1885 1890 British Ultimatum Venezuelan crisis of 1895 Fashoda Incident
In popular culture	Sixty Glorious Years (Film, 1938) The Prime Minister (Film, 1941) Edward the Seventh (TV, 1975) Disraeli (TV, 1978) Murder by Decree (Film, 1979) Jack the Ripper (TV, 1988) Victoria & Abdul (Film, 2017)
See also	Marquess of Salisbury Hatfield House Second Boer War St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield Bob's your uncle