not my circus, not my monkeys

English

Phrase

not my circus, not my monkeys

1. (colloquial) It is not my problem; it's none of my business; indicates that one is not responsible for controlling or changing a volatile or delicate situation.
   • 2015, J. J. Johnson, Believarexic‎^[1], Open Road Media, →ISBN:

     I repeated it like a mantra: Not my circus. Not my monkeys. Except it was my circus. Because, as I lay there, I noticed all my things out of place from the room search. This was my circus. I was stuck with these monkeys.

Related terms

• the organ grinder, not the monkey

Translations

not my problem

• German: Nicht mein Zirkus, nicht meine Affen
• Polish: nie mój cyrk, nie moje małpy

See also

• different clowns, same circus (likewise a circus metaphor emphasizing human folly)