monkey business
UK /ˈmʌŋkɪ ˌbɪznɪs/ · US /ˈmʌŋki ˌbɪznɪs/ noun
- noun Activity that is mischievous, stupid, or time-wasting. “Stop all this monkey business and do your homework!”
- noun Activity that is morally questionable or even mildly illegal. “She wondered what sort of monkey business her neighbour was up to, sneaking out of his house at 1:00 am.”
Synonyms
badness delinquincy devilishness devilment devilry deviltry elfishness goings-on hanky-panky impishness impropriety knavery misbehavior mischief mischievousness misconduct misdemeanor naughtiness prankishness pranksomeness
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.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “monkey business”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details