monkey's paws

A form of monkey's paw — A situation in which a wish or desire has been fulfilled, but at significant cost or with ironic, usually unfavourable consequences.

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Meanings

noun
  1. pluralplural of monkey's paw
Cite this entry
APA

monkey's paws. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/monkey's%20paws

MLA

“monkey's paws.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/monkey's%20paws. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “monkey's paws,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/monkey's%20paws.

Source: monkey's paws on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.