monkey business
monkey business
Meaning | Synonyms
- silly act
- dishonest tricks
- to fool around
- immoral or a deceitful conduct
- illegal activities
Example Sentences
- I want to sleep. Stop disturbing me by your monkey business.
- Aren't you tired of having done monkey business whole day, leaving your preparation for test tomorrow.
- Children continued their monkey business until the teacher arrived in class.
- The government is levying fine on those who have been doing monkey business by tampering with their electricity meters.
- There is nothing new in selling adulterated food items in local markets by shopkeepers. It's their old monkey business.
- Do not get involved in monkey business over the internet. Cyber Laws are stricter than before.
- Now passport application has been made available online so that innocent people do not get tricked into monkey business of those who claim to get passports made in less than 3 days.
Origin
Monkey business has its roots in the term Monkeyshine. This word was originated in 1832 and meant “dishonorable act;” it was used in the Jim Crow song which mocked African-American slaves. In earlier times parents in England warned their children against bad conduct termed as monkey tricks. The idiom was first recorded in print in 1883 in W. Peck's Bad Boy: “There must be no monkey business going on.”