monkey around
To act foolishly.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Stop monkeying around and finish your homework.”
“The teacher told the students to stop monkeying around and focus on the lesson.”
“Instead of addressing the serious financial crisis, the board members spent the entire meeting monkeying around with trivial office politics.”
- 01
as clever as a cartload of monkeys
Very clever, cunning or mischievous.
- 02
barrel of monkeys
Someone or something very amusing or funny, fun, mischievous, etc.
- 03
brass monkey
Very cold.
- 04
brass monkeys
Very cold.
- 05
cheeky monkey
An impudent person, usually a child.
- 06
get one's monkey up
To make someone angry, annoyed or irritated.
- 07
grease monkey
A mechanic, often with the specific connotation of an automobile mechanic.
- 08
like butter on a bald monkey
Very smooth.
Last updated August 10, 2026