Aunt Sally

If something or someone is described as 'a bit of an Aunt Sally' it means that he, she or it is contentious, in the sense that whatever is under discussion or scrutiny can easily be refuted. The usage of the expression in this figurative sense is originally British and according to the OED dates from the 1850s. It is believed that the origin derives from a British fairground game of the same name that dates back to the 17th century, where Aunt Sally was the name of a figurine or doll that had a pipe in its mouth. If fairground punters could knock the pipe out of the doll’s mouth, they would win a prize. This Aunt Sally game can still be found in some country taverns in England to this day. Quite how the fairground game gave its meaning to the current figurative usage, which is well established on both side of the Atlantic, remains obscure.