monkeyese

English

Etymology

From monkey +‎ -ese.

Noun

monkeyese (uncountable)

1. The language supposedly used by monkeys.

   Synonym: monkeyspeak

   • 1891 June, “ How I Learned the Language of Monkeys.”, in The Review of Reviews, volume III, number 18, page 574, column 1:

     His [Richard Lynch Garner’s] account of the astonishment of the monkeys when he spoke to them in their own tongue is very amusing. The first word which he translated was “milk,” but as it applied equally to water, he came to the conclusion that it was the monkeyese for “drink.”

   • 1922, Neil Boyton, “I Celebrate My Fourteenth Birthday”, in Cobra Island: A Catholic Scout’s Adventures, New York, N.Y., Cincinnati, Oh., Chicago, Ill.: Benziger Brothers, page 103:

     It fell plop on my chest and I heard Ivan shriek just like a girl does when you hold a wiggling snake before her. And that baby monk made a little cry that I swear was “Mama” in Monkeyese, and Mother distinctly said, “Come, my precious.” The next I knew the mother and my baby monkey, that I had rescued, were trailing off down the beach, and the little monk had a strangle hold of its maternal parent’s neck.

   • 1950, Neil Boyton, “Bananas and the Beast”, in Ex-Cub Fitzie, Milwaukee, Wis.: The Bruce Publishing Company, page 25:

     “The monkey is hanging from the crosspiece by one paw. Now he’s dropping down the pole. Here he comes! He is running across the avenue. Luckily there is no bus nor auto nearer than a block. Here he is. I can’t make out the conversation, but Fitzie is talking monkeyese like a native and the little thing is eating a banana and listening to him!”

   • 1986, B[arbara] B[ryant] Hiller, Neil W. Hiller, “A Touch of Magic”, in On the Far Side of the Mirror, New York, N.Y.: Scholastic Inc., →ISBN, page 25:

     Sherlock had taken Kohoutek’s pocket watch! The monkey held it out toward the audience, who laughed and clapped. Kohoutek was so startled he couldn’t speak. Imitating the master magician, and after chattering in monkeyese, Sherlock held his right hand to his mouth and mimed blowing into it, as if inflating a balloon.

   • 1994, Gary Glover, Clip Art: Image Enhancement & Integration, New York, N.Y.: Windcrest/McGraw-Hill, →ISBN, page 17:

     NOW RECRUITING FOR MISSION ADVENTURERS... Divehi Raaje / Golden opportunity / BYOG-Bring your own gold / Excellent retirement / After death / Friendly native population / Learn Tigerese, monkeyese, and pythonese

   • 1999, Carole Nelson Douglas, “Ya-kitty-yak”, in Cat in a Jeweled Jumpsuit (Midnight Louie Mysteries), New York, N.Y.: Forge, Tom Doherty Associates, →ISBN, page 140:

     The chimpanzee before me betrays the clay feet of the entire human race. […] “All right. Settle down, Chiquita-chomper. I suppose I should know if you are a dude or a dudette. Well?” / The thing chitters at me in monkeyese. I scratch my nose in puzzlement. It repeats the gesture.

   • 2007, Tom Hougen, “Jungle Rot”, in Sea of Flesh: A Collection of Short Stories from a Slightly Off-Balanced Mind, : Xlibris, →ISBN, pages 87–88:

     His attention was drawn towards one particular female monkey. A baby was crawling all over her, but her concentration, he noted, was directed towards him. When she saw Sal’s eyes open, she let out a scream that brought Sal to his feet. / “What the hell was that for?” Sal said in monkeyese. / “What was what for?” she responded in kind. / “That screaming.”

   • 2016, Bryan Kolb, Ian Q[uentin] Whishaw, G. Campbell Teskey, “How Do We Study the Brain’s Structures and Functions?”, in An Introduction to Brain and Behavior, 5th edition, New York, N.Y.: Worth Publishers/Macmillan Learning, →ISBN, page 214:

     Measuring behavior in laboratory animals is more complex. Researchers must learn to speak “ratese” with rat subjects or “monkeyese” with monkeys. In short, researchers must develop ways to enable the animals to reveal their symptoms.