"Bob's your uncle" is anidiom commonly used in the United Kingdom andCommonwealth countries that means "and there it is", or "and there you have it", or "it's done". Typically, someone says it to conclude a set of simple instructions or when a result is reached. The meaning is similar to that of the French expression "et voilà!".

The origins are uncertain, but a common hypothesis is that the expression arose afterConservative Prime MinisterRobert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury ("Bob"), appointed his nephewArthur Balfour asChief Secretary for Ireland in 1887, an act ofnepotism, which was apparently both surprising and unpopular. Whatever other qualifications Balfour might have had, "Bob's your uncle" was seen as the conclusive one.^[1][2]

A suggested weakness in this hypothesis is that the first documented usage of "Bob's Your Uncle" is in the title of a new song in an advertisement for Herman Darewski Music Publishing Co., published inThe Stage (London) on 11 January 1923.^[3] In one author's opinion, if Salisbury's notorious nepotism toward Balfour in the 1880s had been so widely spoken of to inspire a popular phrase, it is unlikely that it would have taken nearly forty years for it to appear in print for the first time.^[4]

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Expressions of self-satisfaction or pride or delight at the end of a sentence describing an action, a situation, an instruction, or direction, especially when it seems easier or quicker than expected:

• A humorous or facetious gender-switching variant is "Roberta's your aunt" (or auntie).
• A long version is "Bob's your uncle and Fanny's your aunt". Versions sometimes spellyour asyer.

Expressions with a stronger emphasis on easiness or delight:

• "Piece of cake", an informal expression for something very easy.
• "It's a dawdle", "it's a doddle"^[5] and "it's a cinch",^[6] other slang expressions for something very easy.
• "Easy peasy", a childish expression for something very easy.

Expressions with a stronger emphasis on self-satisfaction or pride of achievement or just delight:

• "Job done", something said when someone has achieved something, especially when it seems easier or quicker than expected.
• "Job's a good'un", similar slang meaning "and there you go", or "it's done with!", or "it's finished with", or "it is completed to everyone's satisfaction".
• "Lovely jubbly", made famous by 'Del Boy' the main character from long-running British sitcomOnly Fools And Horses, "lovely jubbly" refers to "lovely job", or "great", or "good news", or "it is completed to everyone's satisfaction or profit".^[7]
• "It's in the bag", meaning "job done", or "and there you go", or "great job!", or "it's all yours!", or "it's completed to your own benefit!"
• "Back of the net", literally meaning "goal" or "success!", but used for "great", or "victory at last", or "result!", or "it's completed to your own satisfaction!"

• Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley, inspiration for "everything's all Sir Garnet"

• Turner-Lord, Jann (1992).Bob's your uncle: a dictionary of slang for British mystery fans. Fithian Press. p. 62.ISBN 9781564740229. 9781564740229.

• The dictionary definition ofBob's your uncle at Wiktionary

• 1920s neologisms
• British English idioms
• English phrases
• Arthur Balfour
• Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury

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