[Ads-l] "Monkey this up"

Bonnie Taylor-Blake b.taylorblake at GMAIL.COM
Wed Aug 29 17:12:12 UTC 2018


Ah, thanks, Garson, for these instances of this specific construction
("monkey [things] up"). This data compares well with DeSantis's usage.

(Thanks too to Jacob and David for their replies.)

-- Bonnie

On Wed, Aug 29, 2018 at 1:04 PM ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>
wrote:

Bonnie: Here are instances of "monkeying things up" in 1953, 1983, and
> 1995 (please double-check for errors).
>
> Date: December 17, 1953
> Newspaper: The Owensboro Inquirer (Messenger-Inquirer)
> Newspaper Location: Owensboro, Kentucky
> Quote Page 1
> Database: Newspapers.com
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> So--though I hate to let you in on my "secret"--I must explain and
> apologize for my absence. I've been out with the weatherman, monkeying
> things up. We turned some valves, pulled some levers, pushed some
> pedals and here it came--snow, icicles, zippy winds-followed by
> Goodfellows bearing gifts
> [End excerpt]
>
> Date: July 18, 1983
> Newspaper: Chicago Tribune
> Location: Chicago, Illinois
> Database: Newspapers.com
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> "The company is running smoothly, they have a good team, and they're
> in good businesses," said one analyst, who requested anonymity. "The
> last thing in the world they need is someone coming in from the
> outside and monkeying things up."
> [End excerpt]
>
> Year: 1995
> Book: SQL for Dummies
> Author: Allen G. Taylor
> Publisher: IDG Books Worldwide
> Quote Page (Text seems to be on back cover)
> Database: Google Books Snippet; should be verified with hardcopy
> [Begin excerpt]
>
> . Keep your database secure with access and function control commands
> that allow multiple users to share data resources without monkeying
> things up
> . Plus, Allen's top ten lists:
> . Ten common mistakes made in defining databases
> . Ten ways to make ...
> [End excerpt]
>
>

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



More information about the Ads-l mailing list