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monkeyshines

monkeyshines

1 9.7
Silly acts done to amuse or annoy other people
  • noun
  • /ˈmʌŋkiˌʃaɪnz/
  • Archaic
translation icon : travesuras
  • They delighted in their monkeyshines, creating silly pranks to entertain their classmates.

Examples

  • His monkeyshines often got him into trouble at school, but his friends loved his sense of fun.

  • Here's another one, "Monkeyshines in Hillsboro."

  • The children giggled as they planned their monkeyshines for the birthday party.

Synonyms

monkey business
vsmonkeyshines
  • Informal
5 4.6

Playful mischief that can include small dishonest acts to trick or amuse people

is purely about playful pranks without implying dishonesty
monkeyshine
vsmonkeyshines
  • Archaic
2 9.8

A playful trick that someone does to make people laugh or annoy them

is the plural form referring to multiple playful pranks
antics
vsmonkeyshines
3.1

Funny or silly actions that try to make people laugh

focuses more on pranks that may also annoy rather than just amuse
waggery
vsmonkeyshines
  • Archaic
9.9

Playful acts that tease people in a friendly way

can include similar acts that aim to annoy as well as amuse

How Mischievous

to prank
  • Informal
16 2.9
monkeyshines
  • Archaic
1 9.7
hijinks
  • Informal
8 7.5
antic
53 5.6
tomfoolery
  • Informal
7 8.2

Surface Forms

monkeyshines plural
monkeyshine singular

Morphology

monkeyshines = monkey + shine (semi-transparent) = monkey + shine + s

The components 'monkey' and 'shine' are visible and suggest playful showiness, but the idiomatic sense 'antics, pranks' is not a strictly literal composition and may not be fully derivable by learners.

Etymology

Monkeyshines is easy to remember as a mix of monkey, the animal known for playful tricks, and shine, which once meant 'a show' or 'display', so it paints the picture of a monkey putting on silly acts. That's why monkeyshines means playful or mischievous pranks.