a monkey's uncle
- idiom
- Archaic
:
me sorprende
- If she finishes that puzzle in five minutes, I'll be a monkey's uncle.
Examples
-
When she told me the news, I was like, 'Well, I'm a monkey's uncle!'
-
I can't believe he won the lottery! I'm a monkey's uncle!
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A monkey's uncle is what you'll be if you can convince him to go skydiving.
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A monkey's uncle! I never thought he would actually show up to the party.
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A monkey's uncle! I never thought he would actually show up to the party.
-
If she finishes that puzzle in five minutes, I'll be a monkey's uncle.
-
I can't believe he won the lottery! I'm a monkey's uncle!
Synonyms
90
8.9
A short cry to show surprise, confusion, disbelief, or casual acceptance
8
2.6
Words people say when they are surprised to see something
5
7.5
A short phrase people say to show surprise or shock
You say this when you are very surprised and do not believe something
To show surprise or doubt
A short phrase people say when they feel surprised or do not believe something
A short phrase people say to show surprise or confusion
An informal phrase people say to show surprise or disbelief
A short shout showing surprise or disbelief
A short phrase people say to show surprise at something amazing
Antonyms
How Surprised
Surface Forms
Morphology
a + monkey's + uncle
The exclamation 'a monkey's uncle' expresses surprise or disbelief in a way that has no transparent link to the literal constituents 'monkey' and 'uncle'; the words do not combine according to a standard compositional schema to yield that meaning. This phrase is idiomatic and culturally specific, so a B1 learner who knows the individual words would not reliably infer the intended meaning without prior exposure.
Etymology
The idiom a monkey's uncle may come from people reacting to the idea that humans came from monkeys; they would jokingly say 'I'll be a monkey's uncle' when they could not believe something. That's why the phrase means 'great surprise or disbelief' today.