1851–61. Mayhew, Lond. Lab., i. 336. The place was well-known to
the monkery.
On the monkery, phr. (tramps’).—On tramp.
1851–61. Mayhew, Lond. Lab., i. 344. Thirty years on the monkery.
Monkey, subs. (colloquial).—1. A term of real or affected displeasure.
Also, an endearment.
1602. Shakspeare, Othello, iv. 1. ‘This is the monkey’s own giving
out; She is persuaded that I will marry her.’
1606. Return from Parnassus [Dodsley, Old Plays (1874), ix. 206].
My mistress is so sweet ... she never goes to the stool. O she is a
most sweet little monkey.
1639. Glapthorne, Wit in a Constable [Pearson (1874), i. 219].
Clar. Grace. Ha, ha, ha. Free. What doe the monkyes laugh at?
1786. Burns, Address to the Deil. The bleezin’, curst, mischievous
monkeys.
1879. Ruskin, Letter to Young Girls [Century]. Serve the poor, but,
for your lives, you little monkeys, don’t preach to them.
1895. Iota, A Comedy in Spasms, vii. That monkey there might be a
countess in her own right.
2. (racing).—Five hundred pounds sterling; also (in America) $500. See
Rhino.
1856. The Druid, Post and Paddock. ‘Voltigeur’s Derby-day.’ ‘Our
Jim’ is ‘up’, triumphant over surgeon, drugs, and nurse, And he
hopes to see Newmarket with a monkey in his purse.
1861. Whyte-Melville, Good for Nothing [Century]. A monkey at least
to the credit side of your own book landed in about a minute and a
half.
1864. Derby-day, 132. ‘In that case, I’ll lay you two to one in
monkeys.’ The Duke took out his book, and made an entry.
1882. Punch, lxxxii. 69. 1. He’ll bet in monkeys, ponies, though he
has seldom ready cash.
1883. Graphic, 13 Jan., p. 39, col. 2. Notwithstanding the increase
of ‘added’ money from 200 sovs. to a monkey, which, as every one
knows, is the turf parlance for 500 sovs.
1885. Daily Chronicle, 3 Feb. The Grand Hurdle Handicap, the added
money to which is a monkey.
1890. Globe, 13 Feb., p. 5, col. 5. The amount of the Slavin
testimonial subscribed by the sporting public was £500, which was
given to him at his wedding breakfast yesterday. Slavin is indeed a
lucky fellow to have a monkey and a charming wife presented to him
on one day.
1891. Lic. Vict. Gaz., 9 Jan. Keen, yet honest and business-like,
he soon got on, and took a place inside the ring, and worked his
way up until he disdained to lay odds to anything under a monkey,
and had some £30,000 depending upon the great events of the year.
1892. N. Gould, Double Event, p. 101. He had bought a couple of
horses with Lord Mayfield’s monkey, and was preparing them for a
selling race.