monkey\ around

monkey\ around
• fool around
• mess around
• play around
• monkey around
v informal
1. To spend time playing, fooling, or joking instead of being serious or working; waste time.

If you go to college, you must work, not fool around.

The boys fooled around all afternoon in the park.

Compare: cut up
2. to treat or handle carelessly

Bob cut himself by fooling around with a sharp knife.

Suzie says she wishes John would quit playing around with the girls and get married.

3. or fiddle around
To work or do something in an irregular or unplanned way; tinker.

Jimmy likes to monkey around with automobile engines.

Alice is fooling around with the piano in her spare time.

Compare: fuck around

Словарь американских идиом. — СПб., Изд-во "Лань". . 1997.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • monkey around — verb do random, unplanned work or activities or spend time idly The old lady is usually mucking about in her little house • Syn: ↑putter, ↑mess around, ↑potter, ↑tinker, ↑monkey, ↑muck about, ↑muck around …   Useful english dictionary

  • monkey around — phrasal verb monkey around or monkey about [intransitive] Word forms monkey around : present tense I/you/we/they monkey around he/she/it monkeys around present participle monkeying around past tense monkeyed around past participle monkeyed around …   English dictionary

  • monkey around — v. (colloq.) (AE) (D; intr.) to monkey around with * * * (colloq.) (AE) (D; intr.) to monkey around with …   Combinatory dictionary

  • monkey (around) with (something) — to adjust something. It seems like any time they monkey with taxes, wealthy people benefit the most. Usage notes: usually said about an effort to fix or improve something, especially an effort that does not succeed …   New idioms dictionary

  • monkey around — See: FUCK AROUND, HORSE AROUND, MESS AROUND …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • monkey around — See: FUCK AROUND, HORSE AROUND, MESS AROUND …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • monkey around — verb To act foolishly. I wanna be a man, man cub and stroll right into town and be just like the other men Im tired of monkeying around …   Wiktionary

  • monkey\ around — Goofing off, especially when you don t have time to goof off. Dad to Tom, Better do your homework and quit sending words to the pseudodictionary, son. You don t have time to be monkeying around this evening …   Dictionary of american slang

  • monkey\ around — Goofing off, especially when you don t have time to goof off. Dad to Tom, Better do your homework and quit sending words to the pseudodictionary, son. You don t have time to be monkeying around this evening …   Dictionary of american slang

  • To monkey around with — Monkey Mon key, v. t. & i. To act or treat as a monkey does; to ape; to act in a grotesque or meddlesome manner. [1913 Webster] {To monkey with}, {To monkey around with}, to handle in a meddlesome manner. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster +PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”