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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

monkey's paw en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Etymology

From the 1902 short story "The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs, in which a mummified monkey's paw is enchanted to grant a family three wishes, but with terrible consequences for them. Popularised by a segment based on Jacobs' story in the 1991 episode "Treehouse of Horror II" of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons.

Meanings

  1. (attributive, idiomatic, usually) A situation in which a wish or desire has been fulfilled, but at significant cost or with ironic, usually unfavourable consequences.
    • It’s given me everything I thought I wanted – riches, lucre, affluence, having lots of money, and being very wealthy – but with monkey’s-paw precision it’s turned all my dreams against me. 2015 October 19, Sam Kriss with Thom Phipps, “Who really ever owns a tweet? The story of a 140-character message gone viral, and the man who stole it”, in The Daily Telegraph:
    • For many people, the extended period of quarantine and working from home necessitated by the coronavirus outbreak has turned into a monkey’s paw situation — a theoretical wish come true that has significant downsides. 2020 April 2, Brian Feldman, “Welcome (Back) to the Appointment Internet”, in New York:
    • It’s a monkey’s paw of a legacy, to have birthed an immortal gastronomic titan but not to have attained immortality of one’s own. 2017 October 11, Helen Rosner, “What Le Cirque Will Be Remembered For”, in The New Yorker:
    • One person joked that Chet was the result of a monkey's paw situation with his father. ¶ 'Chet hanks is the price tom hanks paid to become tom hanks,' they wrote. 2021 March 27, Brian Marks, “Tom Hanks' rapper son Chet Hanks gets lambasted on social media after declaring that 'white boy summer' is on the way”, in The Daily Mail:
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see monkey, paw.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
monkey-paw alternative lexicographic
monkey's paws Number=Plur lexicographic
monkey paw alternative lexicographic

Relateds

poisoned chalice · Pyrrhic victory · be careful what you wish for

wikipedia: The Simpsons · wikipedia: The Monkey's Paw · wikipedia: Treehouse of Horror II · wikipedia: W. W. Jacobs