- English translation
Seeing a monkey drink itself drunk at a filthy pool, they remarked, 'Fine clear wine suits no one but this well-groomed youth.'
- Literal wording
They saw a monkey getting drunk at a cesspit; they said, 'The clear wine is fit only for this elegant young man.'
- Meaning and lesson
The picture is deliberately absurd: foul seepage is hailed as pure wine, and a monkey is hailed as a finely dressed young man. The mock praise pairs one unlovely thing with another and declares the two a perfect match for each other.
Applied to real life, the saying marks something ugly or base as fitting its owner exactly. It points out that a contemptible thing and the person it belongs to deserve one another, wrapping that judgment in ironic compliments rather than stating it plainly.
- When it is used
Say it mockingly when an ugly or worthless thing seems to match the person it belongs to, such as an unsightly possession and its owner. Because it likens the person to a monkey, it is insulting when aimed at someone directly and suits only teasing or sharp criticism.
- Register
- Colloquial; sarcastic and derisive
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Seeing a monkey drink itself drunk at a filthy pool, they remarked, 'Fine clear wine suits no one but this well-groomed youth.'