I'll be a monkey's uncle
- idiom
- Archaic
:
¡me sorprende!
- I'll be a monkey's uncle if he actually passed the exam without studying.
Examples
-
If they finish the project on time, I'll be a monkey's uncle.
-
When she walked through the door after ten years, I thought, I'll be a monkey's uncle!
-
I'll be a monkey's uncle if they really plan to climb that mountain in winter!
-
If he claims he can speak five languages, I'll be a monkey's uncle.
-
After hearing the unbelievable news, I thought to myself, I'll be a monkey's uncle!
Synonyms
347
8.9
An angry or surprised question showing you do not believe something
90
8.9
A short cry to show surprise, confusion, disbelief, or casual acceptance
68
9.8
A short phrase showing surprise and not believing what someone said
8
2.6
Words people say when they are surprised to see something
An expression showing great surprise or disbelief
A way to say you are surprised or do not believe something
An informal phrase people say to show surprise or disbelief
To show you are surprised something happened
A short phrase people say to show surprise or confusion
How Surprised
- NSFW
31
9.9
- Informal
- Archaic
8
2.6
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
I'll + be + a + monkey's + uncle
The phrase expresses surprise or disbelief but its meaning cannot be derived from the literal parts 'be', 'monkey's', and 'uncle'—there is no transparent compositional relation between being an uncle of a monkey and expressing incredulity. This is a fixed idiomatic exclamation with historical/jocular origin, so a B1 learner who knows the individual words would not reliably predict its idiomatic meaning.
Etymology
I'll be a monkey's uncle may come from people who reacted with shock to the idea that humans are related to monkeys. Saying you'd be a monkey's uncle creates a funny, impossible picture and shows you do not believe something, so today the phrase means 'very surprised' or 'don't believe it'.