mon·key·shine (m?ng?k?-sh?n?)n. Slang often monkeyshines A mischievous or playful trick; a prank: laughed at my daughter’s monkeyshines.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.monkeyshines – A combination of monkey and shines, “capers, tricks.”See also related terms for tricks.Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.