Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. dubious acitivities.

[1707		N. Ward Compleat and Humorous Account of Remarkable Clubs (1756) 48: They beheld the Bear playing fifty Monkey tricks, as if he was as mad as a March Hare].
1797		‘Peter Pindar’ ‘Ode To the Livery of London’ Works (1801) V 44: Courts, puppet-shows; and Rev’rence, monkey tricks! – Tricks of a mean, submissive clan, That shame the dignity of Man.
1830		J.B. Buckstone Wreck Ashore II i: Take care, young woman, you can’t tell what monkey tricks he may have been up to in foreign parts.
1834		W.A. Caruthers Kentuckian in N.Y. I 12: The kindred monkey-tricks of the waiter.
1858		R.S. Surtees Ask Mamma 292: His horse seemed to have ascertained the fact, and instead of playing any more monkey tricks, he began to apply himself sedulously to the road.
1865		Columbia Phoenix (SC) 6 Apr. 5/1: Cuffee [...] sweating still on his way to glory, is allowed to play monkey tricks for a season.
1888		‘Rolf Boldrewood’ Robbery Under Arms (1922) 70: You ride straight, and don’t get up to any monkey tricks.
1899		Independent (Honolulu) 12 Sept. 1/2: Instead of being the cringing [...] creature who cut monkey tricks to make people laugh [...] he carried himelf erect.
1907		J. Corbin Cave Man 319: What I want to know is what’s all this monkey tricks in the Street?
1914		W.L. George Making of an Englishman I 61: Now then, Mr. Frenchman, none of your monkey tricks.
1920		Marvel 10 Apr. 3: They knew they could play no monkey tricks at Cyclone’s place.
1937		W.M. Raine Cool Customer 192: Climb into that saddle and don’t try any monkey tricks if you don’t want to be perforated.
1950		Cornishman 20 Apr. 3/6: [advt] He’ll be eating like a horse and up to all his monkety tricks again!
1959		E. De Roo Go, Man, Go! 150: And try anymore monkey tricks, you young punks, and you’ll all be dead ones!
1966		C. Stead Cotters’ England (1980) 183: It’s just monkey tricks and mumming with you from end to end.

2. (also monkeys) (unwanted) sexual advances.

1795		‘Peter Pindar’ ‘Pindariana’ Works (1796) IV 445: Thus toying, mumbling, chuckling, the old fool [...] Expects his wife, so soft, and so divine, To fancy ev’ry sublunary bliss In ev’ry toying monkey-trick, and kiss.
1899		Crissie 18: ‘I must be off, or my old man will suspect me of some monkey tricks on the sly’.
1901		Bulletin (Sydney) 31 Aug. 31/2: [T]he poor young man was a bit off his head – up to monkey tricks, you know; a-walking round on the outside of her, and -- and a-doing things he didn’t ought to. Must have missed his footing, I guess.
1918		‘Sapper’ Human Touch 89: ’Ave you been tryin’ any monkey tricks with ’er yerself?
1932		F. Jennings Tramping with Tramps 181: I’m meeting him to-night, Win [...] I said to ’im, I says, ‘’Ere, none of yer monkeys!’.
1941		A. Mendes ‘Afternoon in Trinidad’ in Lehmann Penguin New Writing No. 6 73: From the day Napoleon came into the yard he started his monkey-tricks with the women.
1980		M. Melamu ‘Bad Times, Sad Times’ in Mutloatse Forced Landing 43: B.A. Sies! Georgina will turn you and your wretched B.A. into mincemeat if you try any monkey tricks.

3. any action considered irritating.

1905		Marvel III:62 30: I’ll teach you to play your monkey tricks on me!
1919		Marvel 3 Mar. 8: If there’s any monkey-trick about it, it won’t work.
1922		‘Sapper’ Black Gang 352: We don’t mean you any harm, unless [...] you try any monkey tricks.
1937		E. Garnett Family from One End Street 72: No more of your monkey tricks here; you’ve come off lucky this time, but it won’t happen twice.