Here is a list of idiomatic expressions about monkeys.

To go ape over something or somebody

To go ape over something is to get terribly excited or angry about it.

• My mother goes ape if I don’t clean my room.

Make a monkey out of (someone)

To make a monkey out of somebody is to make them look foolish.

• In a bid to impress his girlfriend, Jason cracked some silly jokes and made a monkey out of himself.

Monkey around with something or somebody

To monkey around is to waste your time.

• He spent the whole afternoon monkeying around with his old laptop.

Monkey business

This expression is used to refer to an illegal activity or mischief.

• He must stop the monkey business immediately if he does not want to get into legal trouble.

A monkey on one’s back

This expression is used to refer to an underlying issue that prevents you from becoming successful.

• That huge credit card debt is a real monkey on his back.

Monkey see, monkey do

This expression is used to refer to a person who blindly imitates another person.

• It is monkey see, monkey do for the little girl. She copies everything that her elder sister does.

More fun than a barrel of monkeys

If something is more fun than a barrel of monkeys, it is very fun.

• We all loved our aunt because she was more fun than a barrel of monkeys.