[Ads-l] "Not my circus, not my monkeys." (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Mullins, Bill CIV (US)]

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

I hadn't heard this until your post, and as I asked friends, none of them have heard it either (but all seem to like it).

One offered back, "I'm gonna have to salt and pepper this monkey before I eat it."  Meaning, I've got a task to do that I don't like, but will have to buckle down and do it anyway.


> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> Behalf Of James Callan
> Sent: Friday, November 21, 2014 4:24 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: "Not my circus, not my monkeys."
> 
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header ---------------
> --------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       James Callan <scarequotes at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      "Not my circus, not my monkeys."
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
> 
> Within the last year, I've heard the phrase "not my circus, not my
> monkeys," a colorful expression meaning "not my problem."
> 
> It's supposedly a Polish proverb, but it seems to have appeared in
> English starting in 2012.
> 
> Has anyone else heard this phrase? Any clue about whether or not the
> Polish proverbial origin is true or not?
> 
> --
> James Callan: Good with words.
> Twitter: @scarequotes
> (206) 999-4831
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org