monkey puzzle

Definitions

A large coniferous tree, Araucaria araucana, native to Chile.

Equivalents

4 more languages

Cymraegcas gan fwnci

Danskabetræ

Gaeilgearócar

Maltiawrikarja

Examples

“They could see⟳ the small stone house where she used to live⟳, with a monkey puzzle in front of it like⟳ a moustache.”

“Even those, such as the vicar, who might by education have⟳ been supposed to put⟳ a less superstitious valuation upon her character and who were too tolerant to believe⟳ ill of the stage⟳ profession in itself and in the proper place⟳, could not believe⟳ its transplantation into a village to be right or desirable. His sense⟳ of the fitness of things was as outraged as if a parishioner had suggested planting a monkey-puzzle over a mother's grave.”

“Harry had always wanted a cedar tree on the lawn, as there had been in his old home, but had done the best he could by planting a monkey-puzzle, which was said to be quicker growing.”

“While I am planting a monkey puzzle in the front garden in his memory, an old man stops and tells me he remembers, in his wild far-off youth, climbing a monkey puzzle for a bet⟳ – 'A great tall thing' – and being lacerated to pieces by the spikes.”

“Two days later I took it to the former manse, a solid grey stately Victorian building with a tall monkey puzzle tree on the lawn.”

“In the late afternoon, I went for a walk⟳ along a monkey puzzle-lined trail.”

CEFR level