monkey around

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monkey around (third-person singular simple present monkeys around, present participle monkeying around, simple past and past participle monkeyed around)

1. (informal, idiomatic) To act foolishly.

   Synonym: monkey about

   • 1967, Robert Bernard Sherman, Richard Morton Sherman, “I Wan’na Be like You (The Monkey Song)”, in The Jungle Book, performed by Louis Prima and Phil Harris:

     I wanna be a man, mancub / And stroll right into town / And be just like the other men / I'm tired of monkeyin' around!

• barrel of monkeys
• monkeyshine
• monkey up