monkey puzzle
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The Chilean pine, Araucaria imbricata, whose twisted and prickly branches puzzle even a monkey to climb.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “monkey puzzle” mean?
The Chilean pine, Araucaria imbricata, whose twisted and prickly branches puzzle even a monkey to climb.
Is “monkey puzzle” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.