Dutch uncle
noun Sometimes Offensive.
a person who criticizes or reproves with unsparing severity and frankness.
Origin of Dutch uncle
First recorded in 1820–30
usage note for Dutch uncle
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. See also
Dutch.
British Dictionary definitions for dutch uncle
Dutch uncle
noun
informal
a person who criticizes or reproves frankly and severely
Idioms and Phrases with dutch uncle
Dutch uncle
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]