monkey man

Noun

monkey man (plural monkey men)

1. (obsolete) A man who owns a monkey or monkeys; an organ grinder who keeps a pet monkey as part of his attraction.
   • Everybody seemed happy. The goose and marble man, the monte player, purse trickster, monkey man, ginger-pop man, ice cream vendor, and the young man who gave away pound notes for sixteen shillings, and after wearables and so called jewellery at a grand profit to himself, all were happy and...1885 September 23, The Singleton Argus, NSW, page 2, column 3
   • The racing clubs might decide among themselves, and let such be a rule under the South Australian Jockey Club rules, that no wheel of fortune man, "monkey man," jenny, or any such character should be allowed on any course, while such clubs have responsible officers to work the Totalizator machine.1887 April 29, The Terowie Enterprise, SA, page 3, column 2
2. A supposed missing link, having intermediate characteristics of human and non-human primates; any extinct hominin.
   • We seem no nearer, however, to the discovery of that more important link between the quadrumana and the bimana - the monkey-man, or man-monkey, gifted with a rudimentary hippocampus minor, or toe-bone, and rejoicing in the possession of articulate speech.1884 September 11, The Hamilton Spectator, Victoria, page 2, column 5
   • Mr. Swift MacNeill is not exactly beautiful. He has a rather prominent upper jaw with large teeth, which when angry he protrudes. Still the hon. member does not bear even a remote resemblance to the monkey-man with his name underneath in Punch (Toby, M.P.'s Diary) of August 23, and one can scarcely...1893 October 13, The Express and Telegraph, Adelaide, page 3, column 4
3. (derogatory) A man with simian characteristics.
   • Cr Greenhill interjected that Cr M'Gregor was a "monkey man," whereupon the latter called the attention of the Mayor to his comments[.]1883 March 23, The Mount Alexander Mail, Victoria, page 2, column 5
   • It is unnecessary to tell my readers that Billy Brookes is a born fool. Even Jack Annear is on a higher grade of intellectuality than is Billy. But even this poor monkey-man has never given before such remarkable proofs of his idiocy as he gave on Wednesday, when speaking in the Assembly on the...1884 August 9, The Queensland Figaro, Brisbane, page 27, column 3
4. A folklore creature that is part monkey, part human.
   • Monkey, a Japanese-made series, features a youthful Buddhist priest, a monkey-man, a smallish gentleman who fell into the belly of a pig, an artistic type who lived under water, and a dragon-turned-horse.1981 July 22, The Australian Women's Weekly, page 134, column 1
5. A cryptid that is part monkey, part human.
   • April 5, 2001, the Monkey Man attacks Anil Gopal.2003, Henry Billings, On the Edge: Teacher's Guide, page 37
   • Word is, he's on his way to Singapore in search of the Bukit Timah Monkey Man.2013, Max Brallier, Cryptids Island