Advertisement
Advertisement
View synonyms for monkey business
monkey business
noun
- frivolous or mischievous behavior.
- improper or underhanded conduct; trickery.
monkey business
noun
- informal.mischievous, suspect, dishonest, or meddlesome behaviour or acts
Discover More
Word History and Origins
Origin of monkey business1
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85
Discover More
Idioms and Phrases
Silly, mischievous, or deceitful conduct, as in The teacher told the children to cut out the monkey business and get to work , or I don't trust that lawyer—there's some monkey business going on . This expression transfers the tricks of monkeys to human behavior. [Late 1800s]Advertisement
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse