Idiom – Monkey Business

Monkey Business – Idiom of the Day

Meaning:

Thoughtless actions sometimes considered pranky or even unlawful.

History:

The word “monkeyshine” is an ancestor of the idiom “Monkey business”. History dates back to the early 18th century, roughly in 1832. In the initial phases it meant dishonesty. There are references to the idiom being used in this context in Jim Crow’s song mocking African-American slaves. Also, there is some evidence of the term “monkey tricks” being used by parents in England to refer to their children’s misconduct. The idiom with its current meaning was put down in writing in 1883 in W. Peck’s Bad Boy.

Idiom scenarios:

Scenario 1:

Teacher [ pointing to student 1] : What is the biological name of hibiscus?
Student 1: ………….Does not answer…………….
Teacher [ pointing to student 2] : You?
Student 2: ………….Does not answer…………….
Teacher: I know you guys were into some monkey business. Shame on you guys for not knowing the answer.

Scenario 2:

Friend 1: What happened to the bakery shop here?
Friend 2: He sold it to a Hotel.
Friend 1: Why did he do it?
Friend 2: He fell prey to some monkey business of people who lured him to a diamond business and landed in debts.
Friend 1: Oh! No.

Scenario 3:

Old lady to mother of two kids: Your kids are not allowing me to lie down for a while.
Angry mother to children: Can you stop your monkey business and allow her to sleep?

Examples:

Go through the examples to understand the usage of the idiom:

1. The rich man was arrested because he did some monkey business and escaped the taxes.
2. The shopkeeper was annoyed with the kids because they were always into some monkey business with the customers.
3. The judge warned the defense lawyer not to get involved in monkey business.