barrel of monkeys

English

WOTD – 1 March 2024

Etymology

Possibly influenced by barrel of fun or barrel of laughs.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌbæɹ(ə)l‿əv ˈmʌŋkiz/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌbæɹəl‿əv ˈmʌŋkiz/, /bɛ-/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bar‧rel of mon‧keys

Noun

barrel of monkeys (plural barrels of monkeys)

1. (idiomatic, informal) Someone or something very amusing or funny, fun, mischievous, etc.

   Synonyms: hoot, riot

   He thinks he’s a barrel of monkeys, but he’s not particularly entertaining.

Usage notes

Also used with other vessels, such as bag of monkeys, cartload of monkeys, and wagonload of monkeys.

Related terms

• monkey about
• monkey around
• monkeyshine

Translations

someone or something very amusing or funny, fun, mischievous, etc.

• Finnish: naurattaja (fi) (someone)
• Macedonian: please add this translation if you can