Monkey: No Monkey Business Here

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Songwriter William Gilbert, in the musical "Princess Ida", wrote:

His words -- sung to Sir Arthur Sullivan's music -- make listeners smile. Well, monkeys make us smile, too, because they are creatures full of playful tricks.

monkeyshines, meaning tricks or foolish acts.

You might hear that same teacher warn a student not to monkey around with a valuable piece of equipment. You monkey around with something when you do not know what you are doing. You are touching or playing with something you should leave alone.

Monkey business usually means secret, maybe illegal, activities. A news report may say there is monkey business involved in building the new airport, with some officials getting secret payments from builders.

make a monkey out of someone when you make that person look foolish. Some people make a monkey out of themselves by acting foolish or silly.

more fun than a barrel of monkeys at your party, you know that he had a really good time.

Monkey suits are common names for clothes or uniforms soldiers wear.

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