not my circus, not my monkeys

English

Etymology

Calque of Polish nie mój cyrk, nie moje małpy

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.

Translations

See also