monkey’s uncle
idiom

- the term monkey’s uncle, most notably seen in the idiom ”(Well,) I’ll be a monkey’s uncle”, is used to express complete surprise, amazement, or disbelief

- used to show you are very surprised

Wikipedia, The Cambridge Dictionary

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PHRASE ORIGIN

The phrase is believed to have originated as a sarcastic response to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, particularly after he published ”The Descent of Man” in 1871, claiming that humans descended from apes.

At the time, this idea was considered offensive and ridiculous to many people who believed humans were created by God.

The term gained more popularity after the 1925 Scopes Trial, where a high school teacher was found guilty of teaching evolution.

However, there’s evidence that the phrase may have been in use earlier: an 1856 parody of Longfellow’s ”Song of Hiawatha” mentions ”the valiant Monkey’s Uncle”, and a British newspaper review from 1847 refers to a character as ”a veritable monkey’s uncle”.

While the phrase is often associated with reactions to Darwin’s theory of evolution, its exact origins may be earlier and more complex than commonly believed. It has evolved to become an amusing expression of surprise or disbelief in modern usage.

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EXPRESSIONS OF ASTONISHMENT

Idiomatic expressions in English that express astonishment, strong surprise, or disbelief:

- Blimey O’Riley!

- Cor blimey!

- Crikey! Crikes!

- Get out of town!

- Good grief!

- Gorblimey!

- Great Caesar’s ghost!

- Great Scott!

- Heavens to Betsy!

- Holy cow! Holy smokes!

- I’ll be a son of a gun!

- Shut the front door!

- Stone the crows!

- Strewth!

- Well, blow me down!

- Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit!

- Well, I’ll be damned!

- Well, paint me green and call me a cucumber!

- Well, shiver me timbers!

- You could have knocked me over with a feather!

- You’re pulling my leg!

- You’ve got to be kidding me!

These expressions range from old-fashioned to modern, and from mild to more colourful. Some are more common in specific English-speaking regions (e.g., ”Strewth” is typically Australian, while ”Cor blimey” is British). As always, it’s important to consider the context and audience when using such expressions.

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SYNONYMS

for “astonishment”:

amazement, bewilderment, bombshell, confoundment, consternation, disbelief, dumbfoundment, eye-opener, flabbergast, flummox, incredulity, jolt, marvel, marvelment, MONKEY’S UNCLE, mystification, perplexity, puzzlement, revelation, shock, speechlessness, staggerment, startlement, stupefaction, stunnedness, sudden wonder, surprise (and wonder), taken aback (off guard), thunderstruck, unsettlement, wonderment, wow

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a sentence, say something like:

”If he actually finishes that project on time, I’ll be A MONKEY’S UNCLE!”

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HAVE A LAUGH and connect today’s OWAD with yesterday’s in a witty way… say something like:

“Well, I’ll be A MONKEY’S UNCLE if that SCRAPPY little chihuahua didn’t just chase off a pack of rottweilers!”

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