Robert is a close relative on your Mother's side!

[Rob]

Here's what Wikipedia says

Bob's your uncle is an expression of unknown origin, commonly used in Britain and Commonwealth nations. Typically, someone says it to conclude a set of simple instructions for example: 'left over right; right over left, and bob's your uncle - a reef knot'. It is sometimes elaborately phrased Robert is your father's brother or similar for comic effect. With his customary whimsical humour, P.G. Wodehouse extended it to "Robert's your father's nearest male relative".

[Ken S]

Good post, Rob. It gave me a good laugh, especially the Wodehouse version.

Ken

[Rob]

Now I want to know the origin of "boom"

[grepper]

I suppose that you could say, "Boom. Done!" but I would not call that really common in the US, at least I don't hear it often.  You could just as easily say "bam it's done", "wham",  Not unheard of, just not super common;

All describe a short, loud sound.  So it's describing that the proceeding event was easy and quickly completed.

I was taught that to say, "are you done with that yet", was poor English, and that the word "done"  was more appropriately used in describing something that was fully cooked.  The cake is done, rather than the job is done.  Better to say, the cake is done, the job is finished or completed.

However Merriam - Webster currently describes:

adjective
Definition of DONE
1: arrived at or brought to an end <one more question and we're done>
2: doomed to failure, defeat, or death
3: gone by : over <the day of the circus big top is done>
4: physically exhausted
5: cooked sufficiently <check to see if the meat is done>
6: conformable to social convention <not the done thing>

But these days, correctly speaking English seems to be fading.  For instance, the Apple Computer slogan, "Think Different", should be "Think differently".  People here drop the "ly" in adverbs more and more. It always sounds incorrect to me, but it is becoming very common. 

Methinks if this continues, future generations will all be communicating with monosyllabic grunts and tongue clicks.

Anyway, back to Bob!
http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-bob1.htm

[grepper]

I have a question about an expression for you folks on the other side of the pond.

My friend's father hailed from New Zealand, but I've also heard folks from England use it too.  He was a professional man, a well respected orthodontist. He used the expression "bloody".  "Bloody good job!", etc.

Is it considered appropriate to use it in everyday conversation, or is it somewhat crude or at least considered very much slang and probably never be used in polite or professional conversation?

[Herman Trivilino]

I believe the term "bloody" lies somewhere between acceptable slang and cussing.

Here's the test: When children use the term how do the teachers react?  Is it bad enough that the parents are called in?  Or do they just get admonished for using slang?  My guess is it's somewhere in between, and they are given a stern warning that that type of language is just not used by ladies and gentlemen.

[Rob]

Well.....a bloody good question if ever I've heard one!

You're both right oddly enough

Bloody, nowadays is both blasphemy ie a " proper" swear word AND a completely acceptable phrase in upper middle class parlance

The difference is contextual. If my 7 year old said it in earshot of a teacher he would be summarily marched to the heads office and seriously reprimanded.  If we were to ever hear any of our kids use that language at home......not good......no chocolate for you young man!

On the other hand, if my fellow board members were late to a meeting, burst in the room stating....that bloody traffic on the [insert appropriately awful motorway here] was the pits!  No one would bat an eye.

So I guess Hermans close.  It's kind of an entry level swear word.  Out of bounds for kids but very permissible for grown ups who want a bit of grunge in their utterance

[Herman Trivilino]

The difference is contextual. If my 7 year old said it in earshot of a teacher he would be summarily marched to the heads office and seriously reprimanded.

But if it were instead the f-word the parents would likely be called in?

[Rob]

Oh yeah.....if it were the f word or the c word there would be merry hell to pay. At my kids junior school ( my boys are aged 7 and 9) I think they may be suspended for a day for the f word.

[Herman Trivilino]

Uh oh, two boys two years apart.  We have one pair of grandsons with the same age pattern.  I taught them all I know about tools, techniques, bike-riding, and swimming.

And now another pair of grandsons have come along with a similar age pattern.  They will be 3 and 6 next month and live on your side of the pond.

[Rob]

Double trouble as we call it :-)

[Elden]

Means the same here Rob, however it's worse if there are 3!

[Rob]

That sounded like bitter experience talking Elden

[Ken S]

Suddenly my family size has grown quite a bit.  I hope some of the new relatives are rich!

Ken

[Mike Fairleigh]

I thought the origin of "Bob's your uncle" was well known.  My understanding has always been that it started with the early Irish immigrants to the U.S., a great many of whom became police officers in the eastern big cities.  As the story goes, it became quite difficult for newly arriving immigrants to get hired as cops, and so they would indicate to the interviewer that they were a new Irish immigrant and that their Uncle Bob was already on the force.  To which, the (Irish) interviewer would respond, "Oh, Bob's your uncle!?"  And hire them.

I don't know if that's right, but it's the story I've been labouring  under for many years.