monkey man
8
8.0
- noun
- /ˈmʌŋki mæn/
- Informal
- Every time he tells a joke, he turns into a monkey man and makes everyone giggle.
Examples
-
Look, I'm good looking monkey man, I'm just small.
-
The children laughed as their dad danced around the room like a monkey man.
-
She loves to play pranks and act like a monkey man at parties.
Synonyms
310
4.1
A playful child who likes to play tricks
1
9.9
A lively child who likes to climb and play noisy games
1
9.9
A person who acts silly and playful
Antonyms
How Playful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a person who acts playful or mischievous' is directly compositional from 'monkey' (denoting playful/mischievous behavior) modifying 'man' (a person) — essentially 'a man who behaves like a monkey.' This animal+person compounding is a common, cross-linguistically transparent pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The noun monkey man may come from the picture of a monkey and a man, a person who climbs, makes faces, and moves in a quick, playful way. That's why it means 'a person who acts playful, silly, or mischievous'.