monkey — Figures of Speech

1.

monkey (noun)  =

(a)  a person who imitates others

(b)  a mischievous child

(c)  a person who behaves in a silly way

(d)  a person who is made a fool

(e)  the currency note of $ 500 or £ 500

(f)  the iron block of a pile driver

2.

to monkey (verb)  =

(a)  to play, tamper (spoil) with something

(b)  to act in a mischievous manner

(c)  to imitate; to mimic; to ape

3.

(a)  to monkey about with  =  to meddle with (to interfere or to try to involve in others’ affairs)

(b)  to monkey with  =  to spoil or to make changes to something without proper permission or authority

4.

to give a monkey’s  =  to care about or regard as important

5.

monkey-man  =  a husband who is weak-minded and willing to take orders from his wife

6.

monkey mind  =  {Chinese Buddhist expression} (of a person) unsettled or restless state of mind of a person

7.

‘bandar log’ (= {from Hindi, an Indian language,} monkey people) [said of a group of irresponsible and talkative people]

8.

monkey’s breakfast [said of some untidy work]

9.

monkey’s fist  =  a kind of a thick knot at the end of a rope

10.

monkey trap [said of some decoration or thing used by a woman to help her attract men]

11.

(a)  monkey business

(b)  monkey tricks

=  mischievous acts; things done to cheat others

12.

monkey around  =  to pass time idly without responsibility

13.

to monkey-paw  (verb)  =  to handle something or someone with unusual skill or diplomacy

14.

(a)  as tricky (clever) as a monkey

(b)  as agile as a monkey  (‘agile’ = active; quick in movements)

15.

as ugly as a dead monkey

16.

as melancholy as a sick monkey (‘melancholy’ = sad; thoughtful)

17.

as fause as a bag of monkeys (‘fause’ = clever, cunning)

18.

as funny as a barrel of monkeys  (‘barrel’ = a group of monkeys)

19.

as many tricks as a barrow load of monkeys (‘barrow’ = a kind of cart with wheel in the front and two handles to carry things easily; wheelbarrow)

20.

to make a monkey out of someone  =  to make someone look foolish, not up to mark, etc.

21.

monkey see, monkey do [said as a warning not do anything in public that can be imitated by a child or a less capable person, usually with dangerous results]

22.

to monkey with buzz-saw (‘buzz-saw’ = a carpenter’s tool to cut pieces of wood) [to meddle with something dangerous; to look for trouble]

23.

when the monkey jumps [said to mean that a person’s liking or wishing something urges him/her to do something]

24.

to bleed the monkey  =  to steal and run

25.

to hold on by the monkey-tail  =  to take one’s word for the truth of it

26.

women in state affairs are like monkeys in glass shops  (‘state affairs’ = politics)

27.

a monkey on the chimney [said of a loan on a house]

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