monkey business

== English == === 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. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈmʌŋkɪ ˌbɪznɪs/, /-nɪz/, [-nəs], [-nəz] (General American) IPA(key): /ˈmʌŋki ˌbɪznɪs/, /ˈməŋ-/, /-nɪz/, [-nəs], [-nəz] Hyphenation: monk‧ey busi‧ness === Noun === monkey business (uncountable) (idiomatic, informal) Activity that is mischievous, stupid, or time-wasting. [from mid 19th c.] Synonyms: see Thesaurus:mischief Activity that is morally questionable or even mildly illegal. Synonyms: hanky-panky; see also Thesaurus:badness ==== Related terms ==== I'll be a monkey's uncle monkey monkey around monkeyshine ==== Translations ==== === References === === Further reading === Monkey Business (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia