gorilla suit

Noun

gorilla suit (plural gorilla suits)

1. (figuratively, informal) A tough, hypermasculine demeanor that keeps other people at a distance.
   • As I mentioned here with the case of Richard Garwood, so many people come to us wearing a gorilla suit. They are all tough guys and wearing a role.1973, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Labor and Public Welfare. Subcommittee on the Handicapped, Education for All Handicapped Children, 1973-74, page 72
   • A small but significant number of kids have been hurt so badly in their relationships with key adults in their lives they put on a gorilla suit. The gorilla suit protects them from further harm by keeping adults at a distance. Donning the gorilla suit — pretending to be aggressive, scary, and...2007, David A. Crenshaw, Evocative Strategies in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, page 69
2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: A gorilla costume.
   • All of the components of the gorilla suit are adapted to each other, are mutually complementary and form a gorilla costume that would not normally be sold separately in parts.1989, Commodity Classifications Under the Harmonized System, page 43
   • Apparently their gorilla had died, and until they could get a new one, they needed someone to dress up in a gorilla suit and act like a gorilla for a few days.1996, Wayne Rice, More Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks, page 125