Idiom idiom
ape leader
Meaning
An old maid.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“She is an ape leader who lives alone.”
“In the old story, the woman never married and became known as an ape leader.”
“The villagers whispered that she would remain an ape leader, destined to spend her final years in solitary reflection.”
Origin
disputed origin
disputed origin
An old maid's punishment after death, for neglecting to increase and multiply, was said to be the leading of apes in Hell.
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026