Monkey's uncle
The term monkey's uncle, most notably seen in the idiom "(Well,) I'll be a monkey's uncle", is used to express complete surprise, amazement or disbelief.[1] It can also be used to acknowledge the impossibility of a situation, in the same way that "pigs might fly" is used. An example is if one says: "I may agree that if two plus two equals five, then I am a monkey's uncle".
History
The phrase was used as early as 1917, in an El Paso, Texas, newspaper advertisement for a play called The Brass Monkey.
In the MMORPG RuneScape, asking the merchant Zeke about purchasing a dragon scimitar will result in the line of dialogue "Seriously, you'll be a monkey's uncle before you'll ever hold a dragon scimitar." In a humorous twist, purchasing and wielding a dragon scimitar requires completing the quest "Monkey Madness", in which the player must take on the role of an actual monkey's uncle.[8]
References
- TheFreeDictionary.com. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
- ^ "The New Hoyt Comedy ...... A Brass Monkey". El Paso Herald. 31 July 1917. p. 2. Retrieved 3 Apr 2021.
'Well. I'm a monkey's uncle. Who ever heard of a brass monkey? There haint no sich animal!' Oh, yes there is!
- ^ "Piano sale [Advertisement]". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, KY. 24 September 1922. p. 16. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
I'm a monkey's uncle if I ever heard of such bargains before.
- ^ "[Hub Realty Company advertisement]". Los Angeles Evening Express. 7 Feb 1924. p. 27. Retrieved 3 Apr 2021.
I'm a monkey's uncle if this does not save you $1000
- ^ "A Monkey's Uncle". h2g2. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
- ISBN 9780275960322.
- ^ Quinion, Michael (1 January 2005). "Monkey's Uncle". World Wide Words. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
- ^ "Dragon scimitar". RuneScape Wiki. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
External links
The dictionary definition of I'll be a monkey's uncle at Wiktionary
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