Uncle Sam
- proper noun
- /ˈʌŋkl sæm/
:
Tío Sam
- Many citizens have mixed feelings about Uncle Sam and his role in foreign affairs.
Examples
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Remember, she's doing this for Uncle Sam.
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Half goes to the landlord and half to Uncle Sam
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Now, Joe, Uncle Sam and I are coming home immediately.
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It's all the same to Uncle Sam.
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Anybody wants to talk to me, you talk to Uncle Sam.
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Tell Uncle Sam not now, not here.
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I love working for Uncle Sam
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We could make a fortune selling stuff to Uncle Sam, Harry.
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By the way, you know that officially Uncle Sam is neutral in this turkey shoot.
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I am not one of Uncle Sam's girls.
Surface Forms
Morphology
uncle + Sam
Although the parts 'uncle' and the name 'Sam' are individually transparent, the expression refers to a culturally specific personification of the United States government rather than a literal family member named Sam. A B1 learner who only knows the constituent words would not be able to infer the political/symbolic meaning without prior cultural knowledge, so the expression is unpredictable from its parts.
Etymology
Uncle Sam as a tall, white-bearded man was made famous by an old army poster showing him pointing and saying 'I Want You'. Because of that picture, Uncle Sam now stands for the United States government.
