A Monkey's WHAT?!!!

[aidan.molloy]

Does anybody know the origin and/or meaning of the term "I don't give a monkeys"?

[Quizmonster]

The 'monkey' idea has been an indication of contempt for a long time as in "to make a monkey out of" someone etc. The version you ask about often has a very crude addition such as the f-word. This just adds to the effect of ensuring the listener knows the idea is that you do not care at all. It's quite recent, in fact, being recorded nowhere prior to the 1960s.
(Anyone who is convinced he was saying it in 1945....please contact The Oxford English Dictionary with your evidence!)

[aidan.molloy]

Ok, Thank you very much for your response.

It seems I was a little short-sighted as I was convinced the term had some kind of cockney rhyming slang definition (eg. don't give a Tom-tit = don't give a s**t; let's have a butcher's = let's have a [butcher's hook] look.)

I was of the impression that the term don't give a monkey's, left a counter rhyming word to one's imagination (such as don't give a monkey's xxxxxx, which would presumably rhyme with something of the f**k persuasion!) It now seems my infinite folly has driven me to despair only to find that there is no ******* slang definition after all! Ignorance is bliss? Tat!
I shall now pass this nugget of wisdom on to my collegues who are all equally perplexed!

Does anybody else say the phrase assuming it to be of rhyming slang origin?