Image by samuelrodgers752 on Flickr.com licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Apes are our closest animal relatives, so it should come as no surprise to you that expressions with references to apes (i.e. monkeys, gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans) are frequent in English. These expressions are particularly common when talking about human behaviors. Below is a list of common ape-related English expressions, with examples of how they are used. I hope you go ape over these expressions!

to go ape over (something): to become very excited or angry about something
Example: Dad is going to go ape over the broken window when he sees it.

to make a monkey out of (someone): to make someone look foolish
Example: Jillian was really unprepared for her presentation and made a monkey out of herself during the meeting.

to monkey around with (something): to play with something, usually in a way of trying to figure it out or to play with someone in a joking manner
Examples:

Phillip you have been monkeying around with that computer for hours, is it ever going to be fixed?
The kids have been monkeying around in the playroom all morning.

monkey business: mischief activity, something that doesn’t seem completely legal
Example: You all need to stop that monkey business right now before you get in trouble.

to have a monkey on one’s back: to have a problem or worry that is affecting a person or keeping a person from being successful
Example: James just can’t seem to be successful in his new job, it is like he has a monkey on his back.

“Monkey see, monkey do.”: This is a saying used when one person copies another person.
Example: It is monkey see, monkey do with my boys. They copy each other all the time.

more fun than a barrel of monkeys: to be very funny or a lot of fun
Example: We had more fun than a barrel of monkeys at Kyle’s birthday party this past weekend.

Quick note on the plural of the word monkey:

Even though the word monkey word ends in a ‘y’, which usually indicate that the plural of the word is made by taking the -y away and adding -ies. The plural form of the word monkey is monkeys. Looks like the English language is just playing a little monkey business on you 😉