This is an excellent Polish saying that immigrated its way into English a long time ago. I was listening to the great TV show, Orange is the New Black, and in the midst of a riot, one of the characters said, ‘Not my circus, not my monkeys’. It was a long time since I’ve heard this expression and there is a lot in the news these days that makes me think I should use this expression more often.
NOT MY CIRCUS, NOT MY MONKEYS
- I am not responsible for the situation or problem
- A: Someone was supposed to stay to close the main door.
B: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
- A: Someone was supposed to stay to close the main door.
- I don’t care about a situation
- What happened in the US elections?
- I don’t know, but it’s not my circus, not my monkeys.
- If said in a certain tone, this statement could offend someone. If you are trying to say you don’t care about the situation they are in.
- A: I don’t have all the money for rent this month.
B: Not my circus, not my monkeys. - A: I wasn’t asking you for money, just some empathy.
- A: I don’t have all the money for rent this month.
English Expressions
Now that you have learned this expression, take a look at our other Expressions Sessions posts:
Expression Session: rub salt in someone’s wound
Expression Session: take a raincheck
Cursos inglés
En la Cámara de Comercio de Alava, tenemos cursos de inglés para todos las necesidades y niveles para mayores de 16 años. Ponte en contacto con nosotros para saber más.
