Meanings
- uncountableMore abuse than profit.
"Well, then, you're like a young bear, all your sorrows to come—that's all, my hearty," replied he. "When you get on board, you'll find monkey's allowance—more kicks than half-pence.[…]"
1833, [Frederick Marryat], chapter II, in Peter Simple. […], volume I, London: Saunders and Otley, […], published 1834, →OCLC, page 18Synonyms: more kicks than ha'pence
Synonyms & antonyms
nounMore abuse than profit.
Origin
Said to be the reward of the monkeys carried by wandering showmen in centuries past; the monkeys had to perform to beg halfpence from passers-by by exhibiting their privates parts, but the coins they had earned they then had to carry back to the master, while he would kick or otherwise abuse the poor creatures to force them to keep performing.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
monkey's allowance. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/monkey's%20allowance
“monkey's allowance.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/monkey's%20allowance. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “monkey's allowance,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/monkey's%20allowance.
Source: monkey's allowance on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.