Make a monkey of Meaning in English
expression
ˈmeɪk/ /ˈeɪ/, /ə/ /ˈməŋki/ /ˈəv
MAYK-uh-MUN-kee-uhv
mˈeɪk/ /æɪ/ /mˈʌnki/ /ˈɒv
MAYK-uh-MUN-kee-ov
Definition
To make someone look foolish or ridiculous in front of others, usually by tricking or embarrassing them.
Usage & Nuances
Informal and usually playful, not as harsh as 'make a fool of.' Used when someone is tricked or embarrassed in a funny way. Commonly used in negative form ('don't make a monkey of me').
Spanish: dejar en ridículo - hacer quedar como tontoPortuguese (BR): fazer de bobo - ridicularizarPortuguese (PT): fazer figura de parvo - ridicularizarChinese (Simplified): 让…出洋相 - 让…看起来很傻Chinese (Traditional): 讓…出洋相 - 讓…看起來很蠢Hindi: मूर्ख बनाना - मज़ाक उड़ानाArabic: جعل شخص يبدو كالأبله - يسخر منBengali: লোকে হাস্যকর করা - লাঞ্ছিত করাRussian: выставлять дураком - делать посмешищемJapanese: 恥をかかせる - からかうVietnamese: làm cho ai đó trở nên ngớ ngẩn - làm trò cười cho aiKorean: 창피를 주다 - 놀림감으로 만들다Turkish: rezil etmek - maskara yapmakUrdu: تماشہ بنانا - مذاق اُڑاناIndonesian: mempermalukan - membuat malu
Example Sentences
Don't make a monkey of your brother in front of his friends.
basic
He loves to make a monkey of his classmates during lunchtime.
basic
She felt embarrassed because they made a monkey of her.
basic
He tried to impress everyone, but his joke just made a monkey of himself.
natural
If you trust him with your secret, he'll just make a monkey of you.
natural
They set up the prank to really make a monkey of their teacher, but she figured it out.
natural