Monkeyshines are playful pranks, mischievous tricks, or silly antics. When your little brother keeps making funny faces during dinner or your friend hides your backpack as a joke, they're up to monkeyshines. The word captures the kind of harmless, goofy behavior that might make adults sigh and shake their heads but isn't meant to hurt anyone.

If a teacher says “That's enough monkeyshines!” she means it's time to settle down and stop fooling around.

Monkeyshines sit somewhere between innocent fun and actual trouble. Switching the salt and sugar containers as a prank? Classic monkeyshines. Breaking something valuable? That's gone beyond monkeyshines into real mischief. The word usually describes behavior that's more silly than harmful, more entertaining than destructive. When someone's up to their old monkeyshines, it means they're back to their usual playful tricks.