monkey's allowance
More abuse than profitMore abuse than profit.
Meaning
1 senses(uncountable)More abuse than profit.
Origin
Said to be the reward of the monkeys carried by wandering showmen in centuries past; the mSaid to be the reward of the monkeys carried by wandering showmen in centuries past; the monkeys had to perform to beg halfpence from passers-by by exhibiting their privates parts, but the coins they had earned they then had to carry back to the master, while he would kick or otherwise abuse the poor creatures to force them to keep performing.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Synonyms
1 synonymsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable