monkey jacket
- noun
- Archaic
:
chaqueta de gala
- The young cadet was excited to receive his first monkey jacket for the mess night.
Examples
-
He adjusted his monkey jacket before entering the dining hall, feeling a sense of pride.
-
We are a motley crew in our stained monkey jackets keeping company with a captain who looks more like a countess.
Fiction book (1998) -
At the formal dinner, the officers proudly wore their monkey jackets as a sign of tradition.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A short coat that reaches the waist or hips and fastens at the front
A short waist-length jacket worn by military officers at formal dinners
Short jacket worn by military officers at formal dinners
How Formal
Surface Forms
Morphology
monkey + jacket
The modifier 'monkey' does not transparently signal the specific shape or formal function of the garment; its literal sense (a primate) or general senses do not predict 'a waist-length, tapered formal jacket.' This is a lexicalized, culture-specific clothing term with a specialized historical meaning, so a B1 learner who knows 'monkey' and 'jacket' would not be able to derive the intended meaning without prior exposure.
Etymology
The noun monkey jacket may come from sailors. The short jacket let men climb the ship's ropes like a monkey, so it did not get in the way. That's why the name stuck and now means a 'waist-length' navy jacket.