parrot and monkey time, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

parrot and monkey time n.

also monkey and parrot time, parrotty time, poll-parrot and monkey time

(US) an argumentative relationship in which the two partners, e.g. a married couple or a pair of political parties, fight continually.

1877		Raleigh News (NC) 21 Feb. 1/6: John Gilmer and Ann Yates, both colored residents of Hell’s Half Acre, had a regular monkey and parrot time of it night before last.
1879		Republic (Columbus, IN) 21 Feb. 1/2: The Methodist Sunday-school at Acton was treated to a scene not ordinarily on the programme. In fact , they had a ‘parrot and monkey’ time of it. [...] The fray was highly discreditable to the parties and has brought disgrace to the church.
1880		N. Ohio Jrnl (Painsville, OH) 28 Feb. 2/1: There was shouting, swearing, fighting, cheering, hissing and a general parrot and monkey time.
1882		Dly Globe (St Paul, MN) 7 Mar. 4/1: It cost the Browns, for getting drunk [...] just over twenty good bills [and] in court they had a poll-parrot and monkey time.
1888		Salt Lake Herald (UT) 27 Dec. 3/3: There were two prisoners before the court [...] It seemed by the testimony that they had had a parrot and monkey time on Christmas Eve, all over a keg of beer, and its effects were [...] two bandaged hgeads.
1890		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 4 Jan. 3/1: [headline] The Fiasco Between Slavin and Smith [...] Disgraceful Scenes [...] A Monkey and Parrot Time.
1895		Oasis (Arizola, AZ) 6 July 6/1: The new paper at Yuma, the Bee, and the Times are having a parrot and monkey time.
1900		Oasis (Arizola, AZ) 26 May 9/2: The two democratic organs in Pinal county seem to be having a parrot and monkey time generally.
1910		Bisbee Dly Rev. 6 Feb. 3/2: The new elected members of the republican congressional committee [...] have had a regular monkey and parrot time of it as usual.
1918		Punta Gorda Herald (FL) 30 May 4/1: Well, they are having the usual ‘parrot and monkey’ time, politically , in Volusia county.
1922		Broad Ax (Salt Lake City, UT) 4 Mar. 1/1: The colored doctors connected with [Fort Dearborn Hospital] always had a monkey and parrot time [when] they met to discuss its affairs.