Synonym Game

go ape

[eyp] Origin

ape

[eyp] noun, verb, aped, ap·ing.
noun
1.
any of a group of anthropoid primates characterized by long arms, a broad chest, and the absence of a tail, comprising the family Pongidae (great ape), which includes the chimpanzee, gorilla, and orangutan, and the family Hylobatidae (lesser ape), which includes the gibbon and siamang.
2.
(loosely) any primate except humans.
3.
an imitator; mimic.
4.
Informal. a big, ugly, clumsy person.
verb (used with object)
5.
to imitate; mimic: to ape another's style of writing.

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Go ape is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
6.
go ape, Slang. to become violently emotional: When she threatened to leave him, he went ape.
7.
go ape over, Slang. to be extremely enthusiastic about: They go ape over old rock music.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English apa; cognate with Old Saxon apo, Old Norse api, Old High German affo (German Affe)

ape·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

ape
O.E. apa, from P.Gmc. *apan (cf. O.S. apo, O.N. api, Du. aap, Ger. affe), perhaps borrowed in P.Gmc. from Celtic (cf. O.Ir. apa) or Slavic (cf. O.Bohemian op, Slovak opitza), probably ult. from a non-I.E. language. The verb "to imitate" (1630s) is implied in to play the ape (1570s), and the noun sense
EXPAND
of "one who mimics" may date from early 13c. Aping "imitation" is recorded from 1680s. Ape-man, hypothetical "missing link," is from 1879, in a translation of Haeckel. To go ape (in emphatic form, go apeshit) "go crazy" is 1955, U.S. slang. To lead apes in hell (1570s) was the fancied fate of one who died an old maid.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

ape definition


  1. n.
    a hoodlum or strong-arm man, especially if big and strong. (Underworld.) : Tell your ape to let me go!
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

go ape (over (so/sth)) definition


  1. in.
    to become very excited over someone or something. : I just go ape over chocolate.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

go ape

Become wildly excited or enthusiastic. For example, The audience went ape over the band. This idiom is a modern version of the older go berserk. It fancifully equates frenzy with an ape's behavior. [Second half of 1900s] Also see go bananas.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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