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- Dictionarymonkey business/ˈmʌŋkɪ ˌbɪznɪs/
noun
- 1. mischievous or deceitful behaviour: informal "she wasn't going to have any monkey business where the reputation of her only daughter was concerned"
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MONKEY BUSINESS definition: 1. behaviour that is not acceptable or is dishonest: 2. behavior that is not acceptable or is…. Learn more.
The meaning of MONKEY BUSINESS is shenanigan. How to use monkey business in a sentence.
noun [ U ] us / ˈmʌŋ·ki ˌbɪz·nəs / Add to word list. dishonest or illegal behavior: There’s been some monkey business connected with his tax returns. (Definition of monkey business from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press) Examples of monkey business. monkey business.
Monkey business is one of those animal idioms that make a lot of sense — just picture a rascally monkey stealing the hat off your head and running away. The phrase first came into use around the start of the twentieth century, possibly from the earlier term monkeyshines , which had the same meaning.
monkey business. Tricks; underhanded goings-on. This term, which transfers the mischievous, sly actions of monkeys to human beings, began to be used in the 1880s. It may have been a replacement for monkeyshines, which originated in the United States about 1820 and meant mischievous tricks.
1. frivolous or mischievous behavior. 2. improper or underhanded conduct; trickery. Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019 by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. Word origin. [ 1880–85, Amer.] Word Frequency. monkey business. dishonest or unacceptable behaviour.
Monkey business definition: frivolous or mischievous behavior.. See examples of MONKEY BUSINESS used in a sentence.
-1. deceitful or dishonest conduct 2. silly, foolish or mischievous behavior. · I thought being a nanny would be all fun and games, until I realized how much monkey business was involved in trying to entertain a group of toddlers who think that eating crayons is a good idea. Origin of the phrase: Monkeys are a wild bunch.
Monkey Business definition: Silly, mischievous, or deceitful acts or behavior.
Definition of monkey business noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.