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Phrase: Throw a monkey in the works
Before getting into today’s post, let me clarify that I did not throw a monkey in the works or anything else while writing this post.
To throw a monkey in the works is an idiom that, by definition, means the words do not help you understand its meaning.
I love monkeys even when they destroy my persimmon tree at three in the morning and leave ‘presents’ on my doorstep.
Now, on with the show.
When you throw a monkey in the works, you do something to prevent someone’s plan or activity from being successful.
When the West gave Ukraine anti-tank missiles, that threw a monkey in the works of Putin’s planned party in Ukraine.
You may wonder why it’s throw a monkey in the works instead of a goose, platypus or even a rabbit.
Well, first, the Aussies love their platypuses, and they would be pretty upset if English speakers worldwide began throwing them every which way.
When someone upsets a plan or scheme by throwing a monkey in the works, it’s because we are referring to a monkey wrench invented by a Moncky – Charles Moncky, to be exact.
If you drop a monkey wrench into an engine or large piece of equipment, it will cause a lot of damage and stop it from working.
So, there you have it; that’s the meaning and usage of throw a monkey in the works.
Do your best to add this idiom to your English repertoire, but whatever you do, never attempt to throw real monkeys, rabbits or platypuses, for that matter.
The last thing this world needs is a bunch of angry Aussies travelling the globe to protest platypus abuse.
That really would throw a monkey in the works.
Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test
This post is understandable by someone with at least an 8th-grade education (age 13 – 14).
On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 68.
The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100.