It is said that a monkey once saw a carpenter splitting a log while sitting on it. Each time the carpenter split another section of the wood, he inserted a wedge into the crack. The monkey stood watching, fascinated by what he was doing. After a while, the carpenter left to attend to some business. The monkey climbed onto the log and positioned himself facing the wedge. As he sat there, his tail became trapped in the split. The crack closed around it, squeezing it tightly, and the pain was so intense that he nearly fainted. Soon the carpenter returned and found the monkey in that condition. Angered by what he saw, he began beating the monkey. The beating he received from the carpenter was even worse than the pain caused by the log itself. This proverb is used to describe a person who meddles in matters beyond his knowledge or competence, attempting to say or do things that are not his business. "The split closed on the monkey's tail" means that the crack gripped and squeezed his tail tightly.