Dictionary

Dutch uncle en · NOUN

Etymology

From 1838.

Meanings

1. One who reproves or advises in a blunt, stern but often kindly manner, intended for the benefit of the recipient.
   • Gruff but kindly, with dark-rimmed glasses prone to slip down his prominent ruddy nose and an unlit cigar habitually clenched in his teeth, he was everyone's Dutch uncle and let even strangers call him “Maggie” to his face. 1996, Richard Kluger, Ashes to Ashes: America's Hundred-Year Cigarette War, the Public Health, and the Unabashed Triumph of Philip Morris, Random House (Alfred A. Knopf), page 287:
   • The accountant was an older guy named Barney who always played the role of Dutch uncle to Michael's high flying ways, but on this occasion he read him the riot act. 2007, Peter Michael Briscoe, The Best Read Man in France: A Cautionary Tale, Wildside Press (The Borgo Press), page 41:
   • I talked like a Dutch uncle to convince them they would be in the way if they came out too. 2003, Harlan Wygant, The Samurai Conspiracy, iUniverse, page 59:

Forms