Where does the expression 'softly softly catchy monkey' come from?

Answer 1

Oh, dude, that phrase is like super old school! It actually comes from an old English proverb that dates back to the 19th century. It basically means that if you approach something gently and cautiously, you're more likely to achieve your goal. So, like, if you want to catch a monkey, you gotta be all sneaky and gentle, you know?

Answer 2

Well, honey, that expression 'softly softly catchy monkey' comes from an old English proverb. It basically means that sometimes you gotta be patient and gentle to achieve your goals. So, go ahead and take it slow, like a stealthy monkey snagging a banana.

Answer 3

Most online information says the phrase is an old English proverb, but many other posts identify the originator (in England) as founder of the Boy Scouts, Lord Robert Baden-Powell, who picked up the phrase while he was in Ghana with the Ashanti. 'If it were not for the depressing heat and the urgency of the work, one could sit down and laugh to tears at the absurdity of the thing, but under the circumstances it is a little "wearing." But our motto is the old West Coast proverb, "Softly, Softly, Catchee Monkey"; in other words, "Don't flurry; patience gains the day." It was in joke suggested as a maxim for our levy of softly-sneaking scouts, but we came to adopt it as our guiding principle, and I do not believe that a man acting on any other principle could organize a native levy on the West Coast-and live.'

"Softly, Softly, Catchee Monkey" is a slogan on a placard on Sir Charles Murchison's desk in London Scotland Yard. 1938 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation movie, "Mysterious Mr. Moto" staring Peter Lorre, written by:

Norman Foster writer

Philip MacDonald writer

John P. Marquand story