Date:  Thu, 11 Dec 1997 09:53:28 -0600
From:  wachal robert s <rwachal[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]BLUE.WEEG.UIOWA.EDU>
Subject: Re: How cold was it?

The origin of the brass monkey phrase is not entirely relevant anymore
than the fact that "transpire" originally had something to do with plant
membranes.

When I was gowing up in Fargo ND many years ago, we called our region the
"Nortwest" in a misguided attempt to placate the geographical ignorance of
easterners who labelled us that way. One night when temperatures were
forecast to drop below minus 20, a radio announcer began his 10 o'clock
broadcast with "People all over the Northwest are taking in their brass
monkeys tonight." Everone knew the expression "Cold enought to freexe
the balls/nuts off a brass monkey." We also knew "Cold enough to freeze a
well-diggers nuts," which was euphemized as "Cold enough to freeze a
well-diggers knuckels."

So Barbara Harris, you were right the first time.

Bob Wachal

On Wed, 10 Dec 1997, Norman Roberts wrote:

> >My understanding of the phrase, "It's cold enough to freeze the balls on a
> >brass monkey" is that the monkey is a triangle made of brass upon which cannon
> >balls were stacked. When it got cold enough, the balls would freeze on the
> >brass monkey.
> >Nothing to do with the little guy's anatomy.
> >
> >David R. Carlson
> >Springfield College
> >Springfield MA
>
> However, in the frozen north, at least when I lived there long ago, there
> was the expression "cold enough to freeze the balls OFF a brass monkey."
> As I recall, it was also "colder than a well digger's arse in January."
>
> And here in Hawaii right now it is "long sleeve days and two blanket nights."
>
> Aloha e
>
> N
>