purple monkey dishwasher

phrase

A nonsense phrase used at the end of a chain in a game of Chinese whispers, or when conveying a message on behalf of another, or others.

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Meanings

phrase
  1. humorousA nonsense phrase used at the end of a chain in a game of Chinese whispers, or when conveying a message on behalf of another, or others.

    And since the spring of 1995, no game of telephone has ended without some Simpsons-loving smart-ass dropping “purple monkey dishwasher” into the chain.

    2013 October 27, Erik Adams, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “The PTA Disbands””, in The Onion AV Club, archived from the original on 31 Oct 2013

Origin

Originated in The Simpsons episode "The PTA Disbands" (1995).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

purple monkey dishwasher. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/purple%20monkey%20dishwasher

MLA

“purple monkey dishwasher.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/purple%20monkey%20dishwasher. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “purple monkey dishwasher,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/purple%20monkey%20dishwasher.

Source: purple monkey dishwasher on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.