Monkey's uncle
The term "moneky's uncle", most notable seen in the idiom "(well) I'll be a monkey uncle", is used to express complete surprise, amazement or disbelief.[1] It can also be used to ackoeledge the impossibility of a situation, in the same way that "pigs might fly" is used. An example is if one says: "I may agree that if two plus two equals five, then I am a monkey's uncle"[2] "I'll be a monkey's uncle" dates from after 1926, the date of the widely publicized Scopes Trial in the United States, where the term first appears. It appears in print starting in the 1930s. It was originally a sarcastic remark made by non-believers of Darwinism (the theory of evolution), which Darwin shared with the world in 1871 when he published his book The Decent of Man.[3]
References
- ^ "I'll be a monkey's uncle! - Idioms". Idioms.thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
- ^ Herb Yarvina1 (2008-10-24). "Cambridge Journals Online - Abstract". Journals.cambridge.org. doi:10.1017/S0034412500009392. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "When Pigs Fly". Animal.discovery.com. Retrieved 2011-12-03.