What is the meaning of monkey business?
Do you find monkey business, one of the most commonly used idioms? What did you find in the search box for “Wrong” and “Waste Of Time”?
/ An activity that is considered silly, or stupid, or time-wasting.
One arguing about its morality; the
other saying that it had good intentions and something would do. (idiomatic) An activity that may be considered illegal, questionable, or a vice, but not felonious.
Does the Free Dictionary favor the latter definition?
Without any context that could help clarify the exact meaning, which of the two characterizations is generally understood?
What does “Late” mean for you?
How can we split into one and 2 meanings? If there’s a monkey business with my sister, I’ll then bash him if he doesn’t like me. Lots of things can be called monkey business.
Other words with the same broad spread of meanings include shenanigans, mischief, skullduggery, roguery, nonsense, funny business/stuff, antics, horseplay. What activities is so described is immoral, or simply frivolous, but it’s invariably disapproved of.
I would say the former is generally considered. How can I see it extending to the former, but I always think of monkey business as something more
benign.
Generally speaking a monkey business is illegal. The transaction is causing someone to break the law or taking legal action against them. .. Or things you do that can’t favor
you.
In the US in the 1920’s a teacher called Scopes was put on trial for teaching evolution. He apparently coached his pupils to act as prosecution witnesses as this was to be a show trial. He also was for an illegal invasion. When asked whether he had been taught at Scopes evolution, one of the pupils replied yes. He was then asked if he believed in evolution. What is monkey business? He replied that he generally believed the theory and said: “Do not believe
in monkey business”
