I can’t understand why Americans think the British are quaint. Possibly Masterpiece Theatre has a lot to do with it. When a Brit is talking to a Yank, even if said Brit is wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and flip-flops, the British accent seems to overwhelm the senses of the naive American listener. Suddenly the person standing before them is dressed in a top hat and morning coat (male) or a crinoline dress and lace bonnet (female) ready to climb aboard the pony and trap for the trip to the manor house.
This doesn’t work so well for seasoned Americans who have worked alongside Brits for some time. But even they can be stopped in their tracks by a sudden phrase, such as “Bob’s your uncle.”
Here’s how it goes. “It’s easy. You just press the power button to turn it on, press the channel buttons until you’ve found the channel you want, press the record button, and Bob’s your uncle.” And with that phrase, all that has gone before is forgotten. “Bob’s my uncle? I don’t have an uncle Bob. And even if I did, what’s that got to do with anything?”
“Bob’s your uncle” is a well-known (in Britain) British idiom. Explaining it is not easy. It means something like …and there you go” or …and you’re all set.” Its origin is unclear. The most common explanation is that it’s derived from the 1880s when the British Prime Minister Robert Cecil appointed his nephew Arthur Balfour to a top government post. This overt nepotism is said to have led to Uncle Bob becoming a catch-phrase for anything that turned out well.
