Meaning of 'Slowly, slowly catchy monkey'

Also used as "Softly, softly, catchee monkey", this old Engllish proverb means that if do not rush or if you avoid being too hasty, then eventually you will achieve your goal - in other words, be patient.

Softly, softly, catchee monkey is a variation of "Softly, softly, catchee monkey". It is an Ashanti (Ghana) proverb quoted by Lord Robert Baden-Powell, Founder of the Boy Scouts.

From the people of Ghana, Baden-Powell learnt the phrase `softly softly catchee monkey' - and he learnt that he could get the best work out of his force by dividing it into small groups, or patrols, and giving responsibility to the captain of each group.

It's discussed in Eric Partridge's "Dictionary of Catch Phrases." Partridge says it means "Gently does it!" and probably appeared in the late 19th century. Origin is hazy because the phrase was largely "neglected by the editors of the relevant works of reference." Partridge quotes a paraphrase by Wilfred Granville, "Dictionary of Theatrical Terms" (1952): "Stalk your prey carefully; or, generally, to achieve an object by quiet application."