cheese monkey

9.9

A person who acts silly and playful

noun

Slang

: payaso

Whenever he gets excited, he turns into a real cheese monkey.

Examples

Stop being a cheese monkey and get serious for a minute.
My brother is a real cheese monkey during family gatherings.
The children were called cheese monkeys because of their constant giggling.
Don't be such a cheese monkey!
Whenever he gets excited, he turns into a real cheese monkey.
My brother is a real cheese monkey during family gatherings.
Stop being a cheese monkey and get serious for a minute.

Synonyms

monkey

vscheese monkey

Informal

339 4.1

A playful child who likes to play tricks

is a playful silly term used broadly for people not only for children

buffoon

vscheese monkey

Offensive

43 7.4

A person who acts in a silly way to make others laugh

is playful and goofy rather than intentionally performing to entertain others

goofball

vscheese monkey

Slang

23 7.5

A silly person who acts funny to make others laugh

is playful silliness rather than only being a source of comedy for others

goof

vscheese monkey

Informal

22 5.9

A person who acts silly to make others laugh

is playful goofiness rather than only showy or attention seeking behavior

goober

vscheese monkey

Slang

7 8.7

A silly, friendly person who acts in a funny way

is playful and silly but may not always carry that gentle affection

screwball

vscheese monkey

Offensive

5 8.3

A person who behaves in a strange, silly way

is sillier and more playful rather than genuinely odd or eccentric

cutup

vscheese monkey

Informal

4 6.9

A person who acts silly to make others laugh

is playful and goofy but not always deliberately performing to entertain

bobo

vscheese monkey

Offensive

3 9.8

A person who behaves in a silly or foolish way

is playful and affectionate rather than insulting or demeaning

chucklehead

vscheese monkey

Offensive

2 9.1

A person who is silly and acts foolishly

is more playful and affectionate rather than merely foolish or stupid

doof

vscheese monkey

Offensive

2 9.9

A person who acts in a silly or foolish way

is a playful, affectionate label rather than plain slang insult

cheeseball

vscheese monkey

Offensive

2 8.5

A silly person or thing that seems corny and not stylish

is playful and affectionate rather than corny or styleless

gomer

vscheese monkey

Offensive

1 9.9

A person who acts silly or clumsy and makes others laugh

is playful silliness rather than clumsy or physically awkward behavior

dumdum

vscheese monkey

Offensive

1 8.8

A person who acts in a silly or foolish way

is an informal playful label that suggests affection rather than insult

monkey-ass

vscheese monkey

Offensive

1 9.9

A silly person who annoys others and causes trouble

is playful and affectionate rather than an insulting exclamation

nutcake

vscheese monkey

Offensive

1 9.1

An insulting word for a person who acts very silly or strange

is playful and lighthearted rather than harshly insulting or mean

bubble-head

vscheese monkey

Offensive

1 9.5

A person who is silly and not serious

is playful and lighthearted rather than merely foolish or thoughtless

flapdoodle

vscheese monkey

Offensive

1 9.9

A person who says or does silly things

is playful and goofy rather than mainly nonsensical or meaningless

ditzy

vscheese monkey

Informal

1 8.7

A person who is silly and a little forgetful

is playful silliness rather than implying lack of focus or forgetfulness

lovable goofball

vscheese monkey

Informal

6.3

A person who acts silly in a warm, friendly way that makes others smile

is playful and silly but may not always feel especially endearing

monkey man

vscheese monkey

Informal

8.0

A person who behaves playfully and plays small tricks

is broadly playful and goofy rather than specifically mischievous

yard ape

vscheese monkey

Slang

9.9

A lively child who likes to climb and play noisy games

is used for playful silly people, not limited to children

whangdoodle

vscheese monkey

Archaic

9.9

A person who acts in a silly, playful way

is a playful silly label focusing on goofiness rather than oddity

barney

vscheese monkey

Offensive

8.8

A person who behaves in a silly or foolish way

is more playful and affectionate rather than purely critical or rude

josser

vscheese monkey

Offensive

9.9

A person who does silly or odd things

is specifically playful and goofy rather than merely eccentric

pratt

vscheese monkey

Offensive

9.9

A person who acts in a silly, foolish way

is an informal playful name used widely, not only in Britain

banana bender

vscheese monkey

Australian

9.9

A lively, wild party or a quirky person who behaves wildly

is used specifically for a playful, silly person rather than for parties

goofy ahh

vscheese monkey

Offensive

9.9

A person who acts silly in a way that others find funny or annoying

is playful and affectionate rather than mainly mocking or insulting

How Silly

buffoon

Offensive

43 7.4

goofball

Slang

23 7.5

cheese monkey

Slang

9.9

goof

Informal

22 5.9

Surface Forms

cheese monkey singular

cheese monkeys plural

Morphology

cheese + monkey

The overall meaning (‘someone silly or goofy’) is partly inferable because 'monkey' commonly denotes playfulness or mischief, so a learner who knows that constituent may guess a playful sense. However, 'cheese' does not transparently contribute that meaning (it’s literal food or has varied slang senses like 'cheesy'), and the combination is not a predictable, cross-linguistic pattern, so the exact nuance is not reliably derivable without exposure.

Etymology

Cheese monkey may come from a funny image: someone saying cheese to make a big smile and then acting like a monkey by making silly faces or moves, so you picture a playful, noisy person. That's why the phrase means 'someone who behaves silly or goofy'.