Dutch uncle

noun

, Sometimes Offensive.

1. a person who criticizes or reproves with unsparing severity and frankness.

Dutch uncle

noun

1. informal.
   a person who criticizes or reproves frankly and severely

Sensitive Note

Because Dutch is used here to describe someone manifesting the opposite of warm, affectionate, typically avuncular behavior, this term is sometimes perceived as insulting to or by the Dutch. Dutch.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Dutch uncle¹

First recorded in 1820–30

Idioms and Phrases

A stern, candid critic or adviser, as in When I got in trouble with the teacher again, the principal talked to me like a Dutch uncle . This expression, often put as talk to one like a Dutch uncle , presumably alludes to the sternness and sobriety attributed to the Dutch. [Early 1800s]

Example Sentences

She has had a quarrel with Tom perhaps, and she wants me to go and talk to him like a Dutch Uncle.

From Project Gutenberg