Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys

/ɪf ˌju peɪ ˈpiˌnʌts ˌjuː ɡɛt ˈmʌŋkiz/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.35 in modern English

Syllables: if you pay pea-nuts, you get monk-eys
IPA: /ɪf ˌju peɪ ˈpiˌnʌts ˌjuː ɡɛt ˈmʌŋkiz/

54

Scrabble Score

28

Letters

3

Syllables

14

Unique Chars

Meaning

proverb

Offering a low payment or salary will not attract skilled workers or employees.

British usage; Informal

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.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ɪf ˌju peɪ ˈpiˌnʌts ˌjuː ɡɛt ˈmʌŋkiz/
British English: /ɪf ˌjuː peɪ ˈpiːnʌts ˌjuː ɡɛt ˈmʌŋkiːz/

Usage

British usage
Informal

Phrases

buy cheap, buy twice false economy you buy cheap, you get cheap you get what you pay for

Frequently Paired Words

buy cheap, buy twice false economy you buy cheap, you get cheap you get what you pay for

Synonyms

good work ain't cheap, cheap work ain't good if you pay bananas, you get monkeys

Questions

How do you pronounce if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɪf ˌju peɪ ˈpiˌnʌts ˌjuː ɡɛt ˈmʌŋkiz/.
What does if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys mean?: Offering a low payment or salary will not attract skilled workers or employees.
Where does if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys come from?: 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.

How to pronounce if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys

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