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Reference : Sayings : Quizzes : 6 : If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys

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If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys British English

Meaning: An employer who pays low wages will have bad staff.

Note: peanut (noun) = a seed like a hard pea, typically eaten by monkeys | peanuts (noun) = a very small sum of money | pay peanuts (verb) = pay very low wages | monkey (noun) = a small to medium-sized, human-like animal living in tress in tropical countries

Variety: This comes from British English. It is typically used in British English but may be used in other varieties of English too.

Quick Quiz:

"If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys" because
  1. monkeys like peanuts
  2. good workers like good wages
  3. bad workers like peanuts


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