one-banana problem

noun

A problem that should be easily resolved.

“It's only a one-banana problem at the most; what's taking them so long?”

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Meanings

nounone-banana problem (plural one-banana problems)

plural one-banana problems

  1. slangcomputingA problem that should be easily resolved.

    It's only a one-banana problem at the most; what's taking them so long?

Origin

Derived from the idea that trained monkeys can do low-level jobs, working for bananas. It also may come from Sherlock Holmes lore; see three-pipe problem.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

one-banana problem. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/one-banana%20problem

MLA

“one-banana problem.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/one-banana%20problem. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “one-banana problem,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/one-banana%20problem.

Source: one-banana problem on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.