What does it mean to freeze the balls off a brass monkey?

very cold weather
The story goes that cannonballs used to be stored aboard ship in piles, on a brass frame or tray called a ‘monkey’. In very cold weather the brass would contract, spilling the cannonballs: hence very cold weather is ‘cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey’.

Where does the phrase cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey come from?

The expression: “It is cold enough to freeze the balls of a brass monkey” comes from the practice of putting iron cannon balls on a dimpled brass plate on the deck of a war-ship. When very cold the brass contracted sufficiently to cause the iron balls to fall out.

What does the phrase brass monkeys mean?

cold weather
Used to describe cold weather, this saying derives from the traditional Navy phrase “cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey”. This references the brass structure or ‘monkey’ where cannon balls were stacked.

What does the phrase brass neck mean?

confident
So if someone is described as having a brass neck, it means they are confident and say or do what they want but doesn’t understand their behaviour might be unacceptable to others.

What does brass neck come from?

It derives from an extension of the metaphor “stick [one’s] neck out”, according to this source.

Where did the saying brass neck come from?

How cold is cold enough to freeze?

Freezing or frost occurs when the air temperature falls below the freezing point of water (0 °C, 32 °F, 273 K). This is usually measured at the height of 1.2 metres above the ground surface.

What does monkey balls mean?

It is often stated that the phrase originated from the use of a brass tray, called a “monkey”, to hold cannonballs on warships in the 16th to 18th centuries. Supposedly, in very cold temperatures the “monkey” would contract, causing the balls to fall off.

What is a riddy in Scotland?

Weegie word: riddy Translation: refers to your face going red as a result of embarrassment or can be used when you feel embarrassed for someone else.

What does hard neck mean?

adjective. Obstinate, inflexible; also (and in earliest use) as noun (with the and plural agreement) obstinate people as a class.

What does cold enough to freeze the balls off a monkey mean?

Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey is slang phrase that is quite literal, even though it describes an impossibility. It refers to the testicles on a brass figure of a monkey, exaggerating the severity of the temperature.

Where does the phrase ‘cold enough to freeze the balls off’ come from?

The origin of the phrase ‘Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey’ – the short version. The brass monkey in ‘cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey’ wasn’t a stack of cannonballs or a brass ‘three wise monkeys’ paperweight.

How do you use brass monkey in a sentence?

People say it’s cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey when the weather is extremely cold. I went into a house this morning that was cold enough to freeze the balls off of a brass monkey. Note: You can also use brass monkey before nouns such as weather or day.

Why do cannon balls roll off a brass monkey?

Whilst the rusting problem may have been solved, brass contracts much more and quicker than iron in cold weather. As a consequence, when the temperature was extremely cold, the brass indentations would shrink and the cannon balls would roll off the monkey. The temperature was therefore cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.