English Explanatory Dictionary

monkey business

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Activity that is mischievous, stupid, or time-wasting.
  2. Activity that is morally questionable or even mildly illegal.

Pronunciation

/ˈmʌŋkɪ ˌbɪznɪs/ /-nɪz/ [-nəs] [-nəz] /ˈmʌŋki ˌbɪznɪs/ /ˈməŋ-/ En-au-monkey business.ogg

Word forms

monkey business

Etymology

From monkey + business, probably a calque of Bengali বাঁদরামি (bãdrami, “mischief”, literally “monkey-behaviour”), from বাঁদর (bãdor, “monkey”) + -আমি (-ami, suffix forming nouns referring to the properties, qualities, or states of the words to which it is attached), from the perception that monkeys behave mischievously.

Synonyms

badness delinquincy devilishness devilment devilry deviltry elfishness goings-on hanky-panky impishness impropriety knavery misbehavior mischief mischievousness misconduct misdemeanor monkey business naughtiness prankishness pranksomeness puckishness rascality roguery roguishness scampishness bad manners delinquency disobedience wrong wrongness

Related words

I'll be a monkey's uncle monkey monkey around monkeyshine
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on M Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary