monkey

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. simian, primate, ape; imitator, mimic. See animal, imitation.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

Syn. primate, lemur, anthropoid ape; see animal 2 .

Types of monkeys include: marmoset, tamarin; capuchin, squirrel, howler, spider, woolly, macaque, baboon, mandrill, drill, mangabey, guenon, vervet, redtail, blue, colobus, leaf, proboscis. Primates resembling monkeys include: gibbon, chimpanzee, orangutan, gorilla.

• a monkey on one's back,

Syn. addiction, compulsion, need; see obsession .

v.

Syn. pry, fool around, tamper with; see meddle 2 .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

simian, primate, ape, chimpanzee, rhesus monkey, spider monkey, orangutan. ''An organized sarcasm upon the human race.''—Henry Ward Beecher.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I noun Slang. A person who is easily deceived or victimized: butt3, dupe, fool, gull, lamb, pushover, victim. Informal: sucker. Slang: fall guy, gudgeon, mark, patsy, pigeon, sap1. Chiefly British: mug. See WISE. II verb 1. Informal. To handle something idly, ignorantly, or destructively: fiddle, fool, meddle, mess, tamper, tinker. See HELP, TOUCH. 2. To move one's fingers or hands in a nervous or aimless fashion: fiddle, fidget, fool, play, putter, tinker, toy, trifle, twiddle. See TOUCH.