Contrary to common belief, it is NOT cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.

 

The reason isn't meteorological, it's etymological. We have been told that this well-known phrase comes from the British navy. Supposedly, they would place a square brass enclosure called a "monkey" onto the deck, and build a pyramid of iron cannonballs within it. (It's as common an image for a fighting ship as a guy with an eye patch and a parrot on his shoulder.) And, supposedly, if it got really, really cold, the brass would shrink to the point where it could no longer contain the cannonballs and they would pop out of the form and roll all over the deck.

 

Blimey, that's cold!  However, this colloquial myth has been debunked by none other than the Oxford English Dictionary, for no less than five reasons: 1. There is no legitimate source that refers to a "brass monkey" ever being such a thing, 2. Cannonballs would not be stored out on the deck, which had to be kept as clear as possible, 3. No one would construct a pyramid of cannonballs on a vessel that leans back and forth, 4. Iron shot would not be left out in the open to rust, and 5. Brass just doesn't shrink that much.  Bloody 'ell. 

 

So where does the phrase come from, then? Ultimately, it goes back to Japan, and the shrine of Toshogu in Nikko. Here, carved into the wood, is the original "three wise monkeys" that see no evil, hear no evil, say no evil. They were a well-known folk icon, and in the 19th century they were being cast in brass and sold as souvenirs. Soon brass monkeys were ubiquitous around the world. And soon after that, they became a catch-all reference point for any weather condition. It could be cold enough to freeze the tail, or the ears, or the nose off a brass monkey. Conversely, it could also be - as in Herman Melville's autobiography Omoo, published in 1847 - "'ot enough to melt the nose h'off a brass monkey."

 

Oh well, sorry to debunk the monkey.  

 

On the other hand, a quick look at the thermometer here in central Jersey this morning shows a reading of 6 degrees. And the cold snap is expected to continue, with up to 8 more inches of snow coming next week. Which will make this one of the coldest and snowiest winters on record.

 

All of which means, folk references to the British navy or not...

 

...it actually IS cold enough to freeze the balls of a brass monkey.

 

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