bob’s your uncle, phr. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

bob’s your uncle phr.

also bob’s your aunt

[according to A.J. Langguth, Saki (1981), f. the apparently nepotistic choice by Tory leader Robert Cecil of his nephew Arthur Balfour as Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1900, a decision that was both surprising and unpopular; given the apparent gap before adoption, equally possible link to bob = god; however, one should note bobbish adj. (1) while there is no recorded chronological overlap, bob adj. (1)]

phr. of affirmation: everything will be absolutely fine, there’ll be no worries; sometimes prefixed by and.

1923		Stage (London) 11 Jan. 28/2: NEW SONGS / YOU MAY HAVE SOME LOVING BUT YOU CAN’T HAVE IT ALL / DEAREST YOU’RE THE NEAREST TO MY HEART / [...] /TOMAHAWK BLUES / BOBS [sic] YOUR UNCLE.
1932		M. Marshall Travels of Tramp-Royal 125: Bob’s your aunt! Beenies your uncle! Was ever a wanderer served by so steady a star?
1934		J. Franklyn This Gutter Life 216: Wai’er! Three skewers! – mean – lean cures – you know, hob-nobs-bobs-your-uncle!
1938		Tom Burns ‘Street Corner’ in New Writing 72: ‘Bob’s yer uncle,’ shouted another girl, very suddenly. They all shrieked loud with laughter. ‘’Ow’s yer Aunt Fanny?’ called back Frankie.
1945		(con. 1937) R. Westerby Mad in Pursuit 158: I’ll interjooce you to Bloom. Then Bob’s your uncle.
1959		B. Kops Hamlet of Stepney Green II.ii: And once they’re married, Bob’s your uncle.
1969		R. Rendell Best Man To Die (1981) 51: Put your powder in [...] and Bob’s your uncle.
1976		D. Ireland Glass Canoe (1982) 143: I decide I’ll take him all the way, tell him I’m on the way to Sydney, and Bob’s your uncle.
1983		J. Sullivan ‘Friday the 14th’ Only Fools and Horses [TV script] He’d got this weekend cottage and it was free and so Bob’s yer uncle.
1991		R.G. Barrett Between the Devlin 147: Just gave me the money — and Bob’s your uncle’.
1999		Indep. Rev. 17 Sept. 17: You just plug this into that [...] and Bob’s your uncle.
2000		J.J. Connolly Layer Cake 290: They stumble across those boxes, open ’em up and Bob’s your uncle, they’re lookin at a nice fat pension.
2006		B. Matthews Intractable [ebook] ‘Wrap them [i.e. razor blades] in cellophane tape [...] so they don’t cut your guts but will show up on an X-ray, and Bob’s your uncle.’.
2024		J. Meades Empty Wigs (t/s) 215: They didn’t just say bob’s your uncle, touch wood, hope for the best and watch it go through its paces.