Monkey Expressions

Monkeys are very [similar:smaller] to us in many ways. Most have ten fingers and ten toes, and brains much like ours. We enjoy [watching:seeing] them because they often act like us. In fact, Charles Darwin's theory of evolution [says:said] that monkeys and humans share a common ancestor. Songwriter [William:Bill] Gilbert, in the musical "Princess Ida", wrote: "Darwinian man, though well-behaved, at best is only a monkey shaved." His words -- sung to Sir Arthur Sullivan's music -- make listeners smile. Well, monkeys make us smile, too, because they are creatures full of playful tricks. This is why many monkey expressions are about [tricky:tricking] people or playful acts. One of these expressions is monkeyshines, meaning tricks or foolish acts.