trunk monkey

noun

Rear-seat non-piloting aviator in a two-seat combat aircraft; the WSO, RIO, etc.

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Meanings

nountrunk monkey (plural trunk monkeys)

plural trunk monkeys

  1. humorousslangaeronauticsRear-seat non-piloting aviator in a two-seat combat aircraft; the WSO, RIO, etc.

Origin

trunk + monkey. From being in the rear, back seat, the notional trunk (“boot”).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

trunk monkey. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trunk%20monkey

MLA

“trunk monkey.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trunk%20monkey. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “trunk monkey,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trunk%20monkey.

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