| a person who criticizes or reproves with unsparing severity and frankness. |
| Dutch uncle n. A stern, candid critic or adviser. |
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]