An idiom used to describe the reverence given to someone or something that is venerated. The term originated from a scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey. In this scene, apes, the early ancestors of mankind, find and venerate a mysterious monolith that has appeared near their home.
Vasili: Did you see the way those Trump supporters unquestioningly cheered at everything he had to say?
Akseli: Its just another case of the apes and the monolith, Vasili.
Akseli: Its just another case of the apes and the monolith, Vasili.
by Emperor Caesar Augustus February 13, 2018