Monkey–Figures of Speech

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 trick

(c) monkeyshine

=  mischievous act; prank; antic; 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]