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Monkey shines/or/Blame it on the animals
Posted: Tue May 24, 2005 5:30 pm
by KatyBr
not just an old movie but an expression from way back, I wonder how it came about, here is something;
MONKEY BUSINESS
from:
http://www.wayland.k12.ma.us/loker/scho ... dioms.html
This idiom means to be silly or to fool around. This expression was comes from the 20th century and also comes from an old expression called "Monkeyshines" which dates to the 1820s. This idiom could be used if two kids were doing math problems and one kid leaned over and started wrestling with the other kid. The teacher might come along and say, "Stop that monkey business."
there also is horse around
getting hoarse
frog in my throat
sick as a dog
fat cat
in the dog house
Posted: Mon May 30, 2005 6:50 pm
by gailr
Some animal idioms are employed to describe behaviour that the observer finds "beneath" human dignity. Others along that line include:
pigging out
tomcatting around
going ape
drinking like a fish
gailr
crazy like a fox
Posted: Tue May 31, 2005 12:15 pm
by anders
Neigh, I can't comment. I'm a little hoarse.
Posted: Tue May 31, 2005 3:49 pm
by KatyBr
Coltish are we? for that you must pony up, another round, barkeep, Anders is buying, and we can all get back to monkey shines!
Katy
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 9:56 pm
by Stargzer
. . . and we can all get back to monkey shines!
Katy
Stargzer will take the moonshine instead . . .
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 9:52 am
by hcbowman
There's a really great collection of Japanese "cat" idioms on about.com this week:
http://japanese.about.com/library/weekl ... 0.htm?nl=1
I really love 借りて来たねこ or "borrowed cat," meaning to be uncharacteristically circumspect like a cat in a strange place.
Another good one is to be so busy as "to want even a cat's paw" (ねこの手も借りたい）for help.
This collection is really the cat's meow.
--Cliff
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 10:10 am
by Flaminius
Where do you get the 小っちゃい「つ」 from? No need. More academically it is called 促音記号 but no self-respective Japanese speaker use the word, I suppose...
Flam
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 10:20 am
by hcbowman
Where do you get the 小っちゃい「つ」 from?
Sigh... My Japanese has really gone to the dogs. Thanks, Flam!
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 11:46 am
by Flaminius
You can get it back after a catnap.
Flam, a cat-respecting person
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 12:03 pm
by Brazilian dude
Talking about cat-respecting people and self-respecting cats, I named the cat that lived with us for seven odd years Pepe Augusto de Oliveira. Fancy, huh? Oliveira because it's my last name. Pepe Augusto I don't know.
Brazilian dude
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 7:43 pm
by KatyBr
OK, catpeople, tell me what about cats really attracts you. and be convincing cuz I'm NOT a cat-person.
Katy
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 10:37 pm
by Flaminius
I don't profelitise people. I no longer buy into that catastrophic cattitude.
Feliminius
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 11:51 pm
by KatyBr
Oh I like cattitude, may I use it?
Thanks,
Katy