Meaning
Mischievous, deceitful or dubious activity. The phrase covers everything from playful fooling around to trickery and underhand or improper goings-on, and it typically carries a hint of disapproval or suspicion that something is not quite legitimate. Informal and usually disapproving, ranging from mild (pranks) to serious (fraud or scandal). Regional use: General English.
Origin
The earliest known citation is from The Examiner of 15 February 1835, quoting a Westminster Review article that urged moderates to quash this 'monkey business'; the second OED citation, an 1837 letter by Thomas Perronet Thompson, remarks that there would be 'no such monkey business, as the Indians call it'. The OED (3rd edition) concludes the expression is probably modelled on Bengali 'badrami', that is, a loan translation of an Indic phrase, though this remains unproven and Etymonline treats the 'native Indian term' report with caution, recording attestation by 1858. What is certain is the imagery: an allusion to the proverbial playfulness and trickery of monkeys, part of a family of 19th-century monkey idioms such as monkeyshines (1832, from the 'Jim Crow' song).
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- monkeyshines
- no monkey business
- stop the monkey business
Usage Examples
- The auditor was called in after rumours of monkey business in the procurement office.
- The children were supposed to be revising, but she could hear monkey business upstairs.
- Enough of this monkey business; show me the real sales figures.