monkey's paw

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monkey's paw

Where it comes from

From the 1902 short story "The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs, in which a mummified monkey's paw is enchanted to grant a family three wishes, but with terrible consequences for them. Popularised by a segment based on Jacobs' story in the 1991 episode "Treehouse of Horror II" of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons.

noun monkey's paws · monkey paw · monkey-paw

attributive, idiomatic, usually A situation in which a wish or desire has been fulfilled, but at significant cost or with ironic, usually unfavourable consequences. It’s given me everything I thought I wanted – riches, lucre, affluence, having lots of money, and being very wealthy – but with monkey’s-paw precision it’s turned all my dreams against me.
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see monkey, paw.

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MLA

"monkey's paw." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/monkey's%20paw. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

monkey's paw. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/monkey's%20paw

Chicago

"monkey's paw." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/monkey's%20paw.

BibTeX

@misc{monkey_s_paw_2026,
  title = {monkey's paw},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/monkey's%20paw},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}