Where did the expression "say uncle" come from??

Question

I got this off watching A Christmas Story... when the bully yells for the kid to "say uncle"

Answer 1

The phrase most likely derives from the Irish Gaelic word "anacol". "Anacol" means an act of mercy or quarter. The term was probably brought to North America by Irish immigrants and later Anglicized to "uncle". The phrase appears to be strictly North American.

Answer 2

My research found that while "crying uncle" is today regarded as American, it began all the way back in Roman times. Roman children, when beaten by a bully, would be forced to say "Patrue, mi Patruissimo," or "Uncle, my best Uncle," to give up and be freed.Why bullies force their victims to cry uncle, is unclear. It may be that the ritual is simply a way of making the victim call out for help from a grownup, thus proving his helplessness. Also, it may have started as a way of forcing the victim to grant the bully a title of respect -- in Roman times, your father's brother was accorded nearly the same power and status as your father. The type of "uncle" used in the Latin phrase ("patrue") supports this theory, as it specifically denoted your father's brother, as opposed to the brother of your mother ("avunculus"), who occupied a somewhat lower rung in male oriented Roman society.