"if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys" meaning in English

See if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Proverb

IPA: /ɪf ˌjuː peɪ ˈpiːnʌts ˌjuː ɡɛt ˈmʌŋkiːz/ [Received-Pronunciation], /ɪf ˌju peɪ ˈpiˌnʌts ˌjuː ɡɛt ˈmʌŋkiz/ [General-American] Audio: En-us-if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.oga [General-American]
Etymology: A reference to peanuts (“especially of a salary: a very small or insufficient amount”) (originally US slang dating to the mid 20th century) and monkey (“a person of minimal intelligence, idiot”), with a humorous allusion to the fact that monkeys are fond of nuts. Etymology templates: {{m|en|peanuts|t=especially of a salary: a very small or insufficient amount}} peanuts (“especially of a salary: a very small or insufficient amount”), {{m|en|monkey|t=a person of minimal intelligence, idiot}} monkey (“a person of minimal intelligence, idiot”) Head templates: {{head|en|proverb|head=if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys}} if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys, {{en-proverb|head=if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys}} if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys
  1. (British, informal) Offering a low payment or salary will not attract skilled workers or employees. Tags: British, informal Synonyms: good work ain't cheap, cheap work ain't good, if you pay bananas, you get monkeys Related terms: buy cheap, buy twice, false economy, you buy cheap, you get cheap, you get what you pay for Translations (offering a low payment or salary will not attract skilled workers or employees): viiden markan suutari tekee kuuden markan vahingon (Finnish), τον κώλο βάζεις μάγειρα, σκατά θα μαγειρέψει (ton kólo vázeis mágeira, skatá tha mageirépsei) [humorous, informal, vulgar] (Greek)
    Sense id: en-if_you_pay_peanuts,_you_get_monkeys-en-proverb-Idv3D-Qc Categories (other): British English, English entries with incorrect language header, English proverbs

Download JSON data for if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys meaning in English (3.8kB)

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "peanuts",
        "t": "especially of a salary: a very small or insufficient amount"
      },
      "expansion": "peanuts (“especially of a salary: a very small or insufficient amount”)",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "monkey",
        "t": "a person of minimal intelligence, idiot"
      },
      "expansion": "monkey (“a person of minimal intelligence, idiot”)",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "A reference to peanuts (“especially of a salary: a very small or insufficient amount”) (originally US slang dating to the mid 20th century) and monkey (“a person of minimal intelligence, idiot”), with a humorous allusion to the fact that monkeys are fond of nuts.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "head": "if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys"
      },
      "expansion": "if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "head": "if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys"
      },
      "expansion": "if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys",
      "name": "en-proverb"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": [
    "if"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "British English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English proverbs",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Offering a low payment or salary will not attract skilled workers or employees."
      ],
      "id": "en-if_you_pay_peanuts,_you_get_monkeys-en-proverb-Idv3D-Qc",
      "links": [
        [
          "Offering",
          "offer#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "low",
          "low#Adjective"
        ],
        [
          "payment",
          "payment"
        ],
        [
          "salary",
          "salary#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "attract",
          "attract"
        ],
        [
          "skilled",
          "skilled#Adjective"
        ],
        [
          "worker",
          "worker"
        ],
        [
          "employee",
          "employee"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(British, informal) Offering a low payment or salary will not attract skilled workers or employees."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "buy cheap, buy twice"
        },
        {
          "word": "false economy"
        },
        {
          "word": "you buy cheap, you get cheap"
        },
        {
          "word": "you get what you pay for"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "good work ain't cheap, cheap work ain't good"
        },
        {
          "word": "if you pay bananas, you get monkeys"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "British",
        "informal"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "offering a low payment or salary will not attract skilled workers or employees",
          "word": "viiden markan suutari tekee kuuden markan vahingon"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "note": "αν βάζεις τον κώλο σου να σου κάνει δουλειά, σκατά δουλειά θα κάνει (an vázeis ton kólo sou na sou kánei douleiá, skatá douleiá tha kánei, literally “if you put your ass to work for you, it will do shitty work”)",
          "sense": "offering a low payment or salary will not attract skilled workers or employees",
          "tags": [
            "humorous",
            "informal",
            "vulgar"
          ]
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "ton kólo vázeis mágeira, skatá tha mageirépsei",
          "sense": "offering a low payment or salary will not attract skilled workers or employees",
          "tags": [
            "humorous",
            "informal",
            "vulgar"
          ],
          "word": "τον κώλο βάζεις μάγειρα, σκατά θα μαγειρέψει"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ɪf ˌjuː peɪ ˈpiːnʌts ˌjuː ɡɛt ˈmʌŋkiːz/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ɪf ˌju peɪ ˈpiˌnʌts ˌjuː ɡɛt ˈmʌŋkiz/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-us-if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.oga",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/ef/En-us-if_you_pay_peanuts%2C_you_get_monkeys.oga/En-us-if_you_pay_peanuts%2C_you_get_monkeys.oga.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/En-us-if_you_pay_peanuts%2C_you_get_monkeys.oga",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (GA)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys"
}
{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "peanuts",
        "t": "especially of a salary: a very small or insufficient amount"
      },
      "expansion": "peanuts (“especially of a salary: a very small or insufficient amount”)",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "monkey",
        "t": "a person of minimal intelligence, idiot"
      },
      "expansion": "monkey (“a person of minimal intelligence, idiot”)",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "A reference to peanuts (“especially of a salary: a very small or insufficient amount”) (originally US slang dating to the mid 20th century) and monkey (“a person of minimal intelligence, idiot”), with a humorous allusion to the fact that monkeys are fond of nuts.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "head": "if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys"
      },
      "expansion": "if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "head": "if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys"
      },
      "expansion": "if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys",
      "name": "en-proverb"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": [
    "if"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "buy cheap, buy twice"
    },
    {
      "word": "false economy"
    },
    {
      "word": "you buy cheap, you get cheap"
    },
    {
      "word": "you get what you pay for"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "British English",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English informal terms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English proverbs",
        "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
        "English terms with audio links"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Offering a low payment or salary will not attract skilled workers or employees."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Offering",
          "offer#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "low",
          "low#Adjective"
        ],
        [
          "payment",
          "payment"
        ],
        [
          "salary",
          "salary#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "attract",
          "attract"
        ],
        [
          "skilled",
          "skilled#Adjective"
        ],
        [
          "worker",
          "worker"
        ],
        [
          "employee",
          "employee"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(British, informal) Offering a low payment or salary will not attract skilled workers or employees."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "good work ain't cheap, cheap work ain't good"
        },
        {
          "word": "if you pay bananas, you get monkeys"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "British",
        "informal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ɪf ˌjuː peɪ ˈpiːnʌts ˌjuː ɡɛt ˈmʌŋkiːz/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ɪf ˌju peɪ ˈpiˌnʌts ˌjuː ɡɛt ˈmʌŋkiz/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-us-if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.oga",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/ef/En-us-if_you_pay_peanuts%2C_you_get_monkeys.oga/En-us-if_you_pay_peanuts%2C_you_get_monkeys.oga.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/En-us-if_you_pay_peanuts%2C_you_get_monkeys.oga",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (GA)"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "offering a low payment or salary will not attract skilled workers or employees",
      "word": "viiden markan suutari tekee kuuden markan vahingon"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "note": "αν βάζεις τον κώλο σου να σου κάνει δουλειά, σκατά δουλειά θα κάνει (an vázeis ton kólo sou na sou kánei douleiá, skatá douleiá tha kánei, literally “if you put your ass to work for you, it will do shitty work”)",
      "sense": "offering a low payment or salary will not attract skilled workers or employees",
      "tags": [
        "humorous",
        "informal",
        "vulgar"
      ]
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "ton kólo vázeis mágeira, skatá tha mageirépsei",
      "sense": "offering a low payment or salary will not attract skilled workers or employees",
      "tags": [
        "humorous",
        "informal",
        "vulgar"
      ],
      "word": "τον κώλο βάζεις μάγειρα, σκατά θα μαγειρέψει"
    }
  ],
  "word": "if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-26 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (93a6c53 and 21a9316). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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