where did the saying cry uncle come from
Say Uncle
`` Say ' uncle ' ! '' is a North American expression demanding that the opponent in a contest submits . The response `` Uncle ! '' is equivalent to `` I give up '' and indicates submission . There are two theories as to the origin of the term ; one relates to the Roman Empire ; alternatively the expression may have originated in a 19th - century English joke about a bullied parrot . This use of this term is also very common in Arabian Peninsula countries `` gol aami '' `` say uncle '' `` قول عمي '' . 
`` Say ' uncle ' ! '' is a North American expression demanding that the opponent in a contest submits . The response `` Uncle ! '' is equivalent to `` I give up '' and indicates submission . There are two theories as to the origin of the term ; one relates to the Roman Empire ; alternatively the expression may have originated in a 19th - century English joke about a bullied parrot . This use of this term is also very common in Arabian Peninsula countries `` gol aami '' `` say uncle '' `` قول عمي '' .
"Say uncle!" is a North American expression with two origin theories; one relates to the Roman Empire ; alternatively the expression may have originated in a 19th - century English joke about a bullied parrot. This use of this term is also very common in Arabian Peninsula countries "gol aami" or 
"say uncle".
`` Say ' uncle ' ! '' is a North American expression demanding that the opponent in a contest submits . There are two theories as to the origin of the term ; one relates to the Roman Empire ; alternatively the expression may have originated in a 19th - century English joke about a bullied parrot . This use of this term is also very common in Arabian Peninsula countries `` gol aami '' `` say uncle '' `` قول عمي '' .