Cheese-eating surrender monkeys facts for kids
The phrase "Cheese-eating surrender monkeys" is a funny, sometimes shortened to "surrender monkeys", way to describe French people. It's based on an old idea that the French give up easily in fights. This term was first used in 1995 by Ken Keeler, a writer for the TV show The Simpsons. It has even been added to two Oxford quotation dictionaries.
People in France and Britain have a long history of making fun of each other. Even though some people might be a little offended, most understand it's just a light-hearted joke.
How the Phrase Started
The funny phrase "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" first appeared in an episode of The Simpsons called "Round Springfield. This episode aired in April 1995. In the story, the school janitor, Groundskeeper Willie, has to teach French because of budget cuts. Willie, who doesn't like the French, tells his class: "Bonjourrrrrrrrr, you cheese-eating surrender monkeys!" He says it with his strong Scottish accent.
On the show's audio commentary, producer Al Jean said that The Simpsons writer Ken Keeler probably wrote the line. In 2012, Keeler confirmed he created the term. He said it was his best contribution to the show. Al Jean also mentioned that the show's team didn't expect the phrase to become so popular. They never meant it as a serious political statement.
When "Round Springfield" was shown in France, the line was changed. It became "Rendez vous, singes mangeurs de fromage," which means "Surrender, you cheese-eating monkeys." In Canada, the French version of the show skipped the line completely. Instead, it said, "Bonjour, aujourd'hui on va étudier l'accord du participe futur," meaning "Hi, today we'll be studying the agreement of the future participle."
Used in News
Jonah Goldberg, a journalist for the American magazine National Review, used the phrase in 1999. It was in the title of his article called "Top Ten Reasons to Hate the French." Later, around the time of the Iraq War, Goldberg used it again. He used it to criticize European countries, especially France. This was because they didn't join the group of countries helping the United States in Iraq.
Ben Macintyre from The Times newspaper wrote in 2007 that this phrase is "perhaps the most famous" of all the new words and phrases from The Simpsons. He also said it has become a very common phrase in journalism. The New York Post used "Surrender Monkeys" as a headline in 2006. This was about a group that suggested American soldiers should leave Iraq.
The Daily Telegraph newspaper mentioned the phrase in 2010. This was when they were talking about cooperation between the British and French militaries. In 2013, The Independent newspaper suggested the term was becoming less common. This was in a headline about how France and America were getting along during the Syrian Civil War.
Other Ways It's Been Used
The famous chef Anthony Bourdain used the phrase in his book Kitchen Confidential (2000). He described another chef, Patrick Clark, as "not some cheese-eating, surrender specialist Froggie."
Jeremy Clarkson used the term on the TV show Top Gear in 2003. He was talking about how a French car, the Renault Clio V6, handled. He used it again in 2006 to describe the makers of the Citroën C6 car. Later, on the same show, Clarkson called other French drivers "cheese-eating sideways monkeys." This was because they were passing him while sliding their cars sideways.
In 2005, politician Nigel Farage used the phrase in a debate with Tony Blair. They were discussing how much money the United Kingdom paid to the European Union. Farage praised French leader Jacques Chirac for standing up for the French people. He then accused Blair of not doing the same for the British people.
The phrase was even chosen by Ned Sherrin for the Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotations. It was added in 2005. It is also found in the Oxford Dictionary of Modern Quotations.
