ChatterBank0 min ago
what does the phrase mean
4 Answers
softly softly catchy monkey
Answers
Best Answer
No best answer has yet been selected by htilley. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.It's usually written as 'softly, softly catchee monkey' as if someone, perhaps Chinese, is speaking pidgin English. People have trouble with the meaning simply because writing 'catchy' causes confusion with 'catchy' as in "that's a catchy tune."
It first appeared in print in a book of quotations published in 1907. Precisely as Fred says above, it is just a proverbial phrase recommending caution and the gentle approach as the best way to achieve an objective.