if you pay bananas, you get monkeys
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Synonym of if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “if you pay bananas, you get monkeys” mean?
Synonym of if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
Is “if you pay bananas, you get monkeys” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.