# monkey business

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈmʌŋkɪ ˌbɪznɪs/

## Definitions
1. Activity that is mischievous, stupid, or time-wasting.
2. Activity that is morally questionable or even mildly illegal.

## 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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/monkey-business