monkeyshine
noun

- a mischievous or playful trick, joke, or prank

YourDictionary

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ORIGIN

The word “monkeyshine” (often “monkeyshines”), referring to a mischievous or playful trick, has a very interesting and disturbing history. It first appeared in 1828 (as “munky shines”) in a song by Thomas “Daddy” Rice, a popular white comedian who performed in blackface.

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A MOST EMBARRASSING PRANK!

“Recently, while looking to purchase speakers, I headed to a Best Buy, where I tested some Bluetooth models using my phone. Then I had a hilarious idea:

I would stand at a distance and play fart noises on my phone through the speaker. No one would know I was the one causing the racket. I walked 15 metres away and found a track on Spotify. It was called ‘Fart Sounds—Over 1,000 Farts’, so I knew it must be good stuff.

When I pressed play, nothing happened, so I moved closer, assuming I was out of range. Turns out there was a 20-second delay before the first noise. I was standing directly in front of the speaker when it produced a thundering sound. Everyone looked at me.

Red-faced, I darted out of Best Buy, and drove home, with no speakers and very little dignity.

D.J. Demers - Readers’ Digest (Canada)

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SYNONYMS
for a practical joke or mischievous trick:

antic, buffoonery, caper, clownery, clowning, escapade, fooling about/around, fun and games, funny business, hoodwinking, hoot, horseplay, jest, lark, leg-pull, monkey business, monkeying, MONKEYSHINE, monkeyshines, monkey tricks, put-on, rib-tickler, roguery, shenanigans, skylarking, snow job, spoof, stunt, tomfoolery, trick, trickery, waggery, wind-up

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Practice OWAD in a conversation today, say something like:

“Anticipating MONKEYSHINES, one needs to be especially alert on April 1st.”

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and,

Paul Smith, IBAN: DE75 7316 0000 0002 5477 40