原来英文里有这么多跟monkey有关的短语，看看你会几个？

 

猴年来到！猴总是给人一种天真烂漫，机灵活泼的感觉，它不仅在中国的成语和歇后语中常常出现，西方文化里也不乏与“猴”有关的表达方式。

 

什么样的business，能算得上是猢狲把戏？This means causing problems or getting into trouble. 中文可理解为“胡闹”、“恶作剧”。

例：Our teacher warned us not to try any monkey business while she was out of the room.

老师警告过我们，她不在时别捣蛋。

 

不难发现，猴子总是攀上爬下、东蹦西跳，似乎忙得不亦乐乎，却又搞不出什么名堂，而这一顽（e）皮（gao）气质也常常被智慧的人类拿来说事儿~

 

 

Monkey around

 

这里的monkey是动词，歪果仁用它来比喻to waste time or procrastinate by doing something unproductive or unhelpful; to fool around or spend time idly, 意为“闲混，捣蛋”，是不是很形象呢？

 

例：Would you quit monkeying around and give me a hand cleaning the house?

你能不能不要再调皮捣蛋了，帮我收拾一下屋子好不好？

 

I should have started this essay last week, but I've been monkeying around with my new video game console.

我本来上周就要开始写这篇论文了，但我一直在玩新的游戏机。

Have a monkey on your back

 

背上有只猴，难道要耍猴？这个习语并没有这么简单，它指的是难以摆脱的重担。想想背着“悟空”也是压力山大啊~~

 

例：It was like having a monkey on your back that you just can't get rid of.

这种感觉就像是身上背负着无法摆脱的重担。

 

 

Monkey see, monkey do

 

Monkey see, monkey do is a pidgin-style saying that appeared in American culture in the early 1920s. The saying refers to the learning of a process without an understanding of why it works. Another definition implies the act of mimicry, usually with limited knowledge or concern of the consequences.

 

Monkey see, monkey do意思是“有样学样”。源于西非马里的民间故事。一个商人把所有的帽子都摞在头上去街上卖帽子，中午他坐在树下打盹，醒来后却发现头上的帽子被一群猴子偷走了，只剩下自己的那一顶。不管商人怎么叫骂，猴子都只是在树上静静地模仿他。气急之下，商人把自己的帽子摔在地上，猴子也跟着模仿，把帽子扔到了商人的脚边。

这个谚语从此广为流传，用来表示机械地学习或模仿。

 

例：I don’t let my children watch TV programs that show kids being disrespectful to their elders. I know what would happen if I did: monkey see, monkey do.

在有些电视节目中，孩子在大人面前没大没小，这类节目我从不让我的孩子看，因为孩子经常会有样学样。

 

视频里有关monkey的短语还没看够？下面这些“猴儿”一块儿送给你~

 

Monkey’s uncle

看到这个词，你也许会想，“猴子的叔叔”是谁？难道是无所不能的齐天大圣？！

其实，这个词表示“我很震惊”！

 

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. It was originally a sarcastic remark made by Creationists. The notion “that people were descended from apes was considered blasphemous...by Darwin’s contemporaries”, and it was for this reason that the sarcastic phrase came into use.

 

这种说法与达尔文的进化论有关。1859年，达尔文出版《物种起源》，书中提到人和猴子出自共同的祖先。这一说法让人们惊讶不已，尤其是神创论者。于是，有人惊讶地说，“Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!”后来，这种说法就成了人们表达惊讶的一种方式。

 

例：Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. I never thought Bill would remarry.

天啊！我从来都没想过比尔会再婚。

 

 

More fun than a barrel of monkeys

 

你也许会问，一群猴子在一起上蹿下跳一刻都不消停，不闹心么？其实这只是一种夸张的说法，歪果仁用它来形容“to be very funny or enjoyable”, 表示一件事非常有趣。类似的表达还有as much fun as a barrel of monkeys.

 

例：The circus was more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

这个马戏团表演实在是太有意思了。

 

Roger always makes me laugh! He is as much fun as a barrel of monkeys.

罗杰总是能让我开怀大笑！他很有趣。

 

歪果仁的先民们在遣词造句的时候，也是把猴和人之间这千丝万缕的关系发挥到了极致。猴子活泼好动，也常常被用来指小孩子:

 

 

Cheeky monkey

 

字面意思是“顽皮的猴子”，其引申义为a silly, impudent, or mischievous person。 Usually said as a mild, playful rebuke, 相当于我们口语中常说的“淘气包，熊孩子”。

 

例：You ate all the cookies, you cheeky monkey!

你这熊孩子，你把所有的饼干都吃完了！

 

 

Make a monkey (out ) of someone

 

这个词的字面意思是把某人变成猴子，但如果你以为这是人类要返祖了，那童鞋你可真是想多了~其实，这个词的实际意义是“把某人当猴耍，让某人出洋相”。类似的英文表达还有 make a fool (out) of someone.

 

例：John made a monkey out of himself while trying to make a fool out of Jim.

约翰本想愚弄吉姆，却让自己出了洋相。