a coined
phrase referring to an ancient tale about a
monkey who used a
cat to remove
hot chestnuts from a
fire. The
monkey, as a favored pet in a household, was allowed to
run free. One
day, the
monkey saw chestnuts
roasting on a
fire in the kitchen and, while the
cook was away, attempted to
pull the chestnuts from the
fire,
burning his fingers. Seeing a
cat lying in wait for a mouse, he instantly jumped on it and, although it spat and struggled, the
monkey forced it to draw one chestnut after another from the
fire. Its
paw in
pain, the
cat wailed and howled until the
cook came to the rescue.