Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Uncle Sam |
Uncle SamNoun1. A personification of the United States government. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
| Domain | Definition |
Literature | Uncle Sam (See Sam .). Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
World's tallest statue of Uncle Sam in Lake George, New YorkUncle Sam is a cartoon character that was designed sometime in the early 1800's to personify the United States. His exact origins are widely debated, but most believe his name came from a play on the abbreviation "U.S."
Most earlier representative figures of the United States such as "Brother Jonathan" were overtaken by Uncle Sam somewhere around the time of the US Civil War. The female personification "Columbia" has seldom been seen since the 1920s. Today, with the possible exception of the Statue of Liberty, the character of Uncle Sam is probably the most easily recognizable personification of the United States.
The term "Uncle Sam" can also be used as a synonym for America, especially the United States government. Phrases like "Uncle Sam needs ... " are often used by critics and satirists to create the image of the United States as a human being, with human wants and desires.
Uncle Sam is usually drawn as a tall, elderly man with a Stars and Stripes top hat, red white and blue morning coat, and striped pants. This style was originally popularized by cartoonist Thomas Nast and is now the "universal" image of the character. In recent years some cartoonists have drawn a more "modernized" youthful version of Uncle Sam, although the distinctive top hat always remains.
The Uncle Sam character is often used in editorial cartoons as a physical representation of America. To American cartoonists he is largely considered an honorable figure, and is usually treated with respect, often representing the nation's conscience.
In some other countries, especially those hostile to the United States, Uncle Sam is often portrayed as a much less respectable figure, and the personification of American arrogance or imperialism.
J.M.Flagg's depiction of Uncle SamDuring World War I a very famous recruitment poster that depicted Uncle Sam pointing at the viewer with the words "I want YOU!" appearing below, created by artist James Montgomery Flagg in 1917, painting a modified version of his own face for Uncle Sam. The poster was inspired by a similar WWI poster issued in the United Kingdom, picturing Lord Horatio Kitchener in a similar pose. Flagg's poster was revived and reprinted for recruitment during World War II. The poster has seen been repeatedly parodied, with many different variations on the simple slogan.
In the Golden Age of Comic Books of the 1940s, creator Will Eisner created a superhero version of Uncle Sam for Quality Comics. In that version, Sam was a mystical being who was the spirit of a slain patriotic soldier of the American Revolutionary War, but now appeared in the world whenever his country needed him. The character was used for a few years from 1940 to 1943 when it was discontinued. DC Comics acquired the character as part of its acquisition of the Quality characters and now occasionally appears as a supporting character who is leader of the Freedom Fighters.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Uncle Sam."
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Inhabitant | Aboriginal, American, Caledonian, Cambrian, Canadian, Canuck, downeaster, Scot, Scotchman, Hibernian, Irishman, Welshman, Uncle Sam, Yankee, Brother Jonathan. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Uncle Sam |
| Specialty definitions using "Uncle Sam": WASHINGTON. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | You know that, officially, Uncle Sam is completely neutral in this turkey shoot (Tomorrow Never Dies; writing credit: Bruce Feirstein) | |
Lyrics | They made him blow a bugle for his Uncle Sam. (Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy; performing artist: Bette Midler) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Uncle Sam of Freedom Ridge (1920) Negro Soldiers Fighting for Uncle Sam (1918) A Daughter of Uncle Sam (1918) Ten Million Men from Uncle Sam (1917) How Uncle Sam Prepares (1917) | |
Song Titles | I Don't Ever Want To See You Again (performing artist: Uncle Sam) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Theater & Movies | |
Music |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Rare orchid (Epipactis gigantea) found on Uncle Sam Mountain in Stevens County, Washington. Credit: Barbara Brenner. |  | Uncle Sam protecting his property against the encroachments of his cousin John. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | "Uncle Sam" making new arrangements. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Uncle Sam presents his return quota of "assisted" immigrants. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | This is where your Uncle Sam stops to think. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Uncle Sam, as the strong man, surprises the spectators with the show. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Wilson reading report on sinking of Lusitania while Uncle Sam says "steady". Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Convent on Uncle Sam Plantation, St. James Parish, Louisiana. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Help Uncle Sam kick the habit!. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Mail str. Uncle Sam, Lake Winnipesaukee, N.H. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Art Linkletter | I love Uncle Sam, but I didn't want him to take all my money. So, I founded an oil well drilling. You can write off all of the intangible drilling, which is a big hunk of the money that goes against your income. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
1. Uncle Sam, LA |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
uncle sam | 927 | uncle sam jam | 13 |
uncle sam picture | 164 | uncle sam photo | 11 |
uncle sam clip art | 54 | uncle sam craft | 10 |
uncle sam poster | 50 | uncle sam want you poster | 9 |
uncle sam costume | 38 | uncle sam we want you | 7 |
uncle sam pic | 33 | uncle sam want you picture | 6 |
uncle sam want you | 28 | uncle sam decoration | 5 |
uncle sam clipart | 27 | uncle sam i want you poster | 5 |
uncle sam image | 26 | uncle sam music | 3 |
uncle sam hat | 24 | uncle sam doll | 3 |
uncle sam t shirt | 23 | uncle sam money | 3 |
uncle sam cereal | 23 | uncle sam flag | 2 |
uncle sam inflatable | 15 | uncle sam la | 2 |
uncle sam i want you | 14 | uncle sam figure | 2 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "Uncle Sam"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Bulgarian | съединените щати, чичо сам. (various references) | |
French | oncle sam. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | eunclay amsay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | um símbolo dos estados unidos, tio sam. (various references) | |
Russian | 'дядя Сэм', США (United States of America). (various references) | |
Turkish | sam amca, amerika birleşik devletleri (the states, united states, united states of america, Usa), amerika (America, new world, the new world, the states, u.s.a., united states, united states of america). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-c-e-l-m-n-s-u" | |
-1 letter: acumens, almuces, censual, lacunes, launces, macules, mesclun, unlaces. | |
-2 letters: acumen, almuce, camels, caules, clause, cleans, cuneal, lacune, lances, launce, lemans, lumens, macles, macule, mensal, mescal, muscae, muscle, ulemas, uncase, uncles, unlace, unseal, unseam, usance. | |
-3 letters: acmes, acnes, alecs, almes, alums, amens, amuse, calms, camel, cames, canes, cauls, cause, clams, clans, clean, clues, culms. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-c-e-l-m-n-s-u" | |
+1 letter: calumnies, masculine. | |
+2 letters: ambulances, consumable, culminates, luminances, lunchmeats, masculines, tenaculums, unscramble. | |
+3 letters: animalcules, calumniates, consumables, glucosamine, lawrenciums, masculinely, masculinise, masculinize, nucleoplasm, nucleosomal, unmasculine, unscrambled, unscrambler, unscrambles. | |
+4 letters: candelabrums, communalizes, consummately, curtailments, emasculating, emasculation, glucosamines, illuminances, inconsumable, macronucleus, masculinised, masculinises, masculinized, masculinizes, mendaciously, mononuclears, nucleoplasms, unscramblers. | |
+5 letters: alphanumerics, ceruloplasmin, clamorousness, commensurable, commensurably, communalities, conceptualism, counterclaims, documentalist, ecumenicalism, emasculations, maliciousness, masculinities, mercurialness, miscellaneous, multichannels, multivalences, municipalizes, neuromuscular, nomenclatures, nonnumericals, nucleoplasmic, outplacements, republicanism, supercriminal, underclassman, underclassmen, unsymmetrical, upperclassman, upperclassmen, vernacularism. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Crosswords 3. Usage: Modern 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Images: Slideshow 6. Images: Photo Album 7. Quotations: Spoken 8. Cities | 9. Expressions: Internet 10. Translations: Modern 11. Anagrams 12. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
