How cold is it?
Here in South Carolina, Winter has finally showed up! Brrrr!
You have no doubt heard the expression about the cold temperatures and the "Brass Monkey"?
Well, in the days of sailing ships, It was necessary to keep a good supply of cannon balls near the cannon on old war ships.But how to prevent them from rolling about the deck was the problem.
The storage method devised was to stack them as a square based pyramid, with one ball on top, resting on four, resting on nine, which rested on sixteen.Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon.
There was only one problem -- how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding/rolling from under the others.The solution was a metal plate with 16 round indentations, called, for reasons unknown, a Monkey. But if this plate were made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it.The solution to the rusting problem was to make them of brass - hence, Brass Monkeys.
Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much faster than iron when chilled.Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannon balls would come right off the monkey.Thus, it was quite literally, cold enough to "Freeze the balls off a brass monkey".
And all this time, folks thought that was just a vulgar expression? You must send this fabulous bit of historical knowledge to at least a few of your intellectual friends.
William :)
Recent Comments
10
The truth is always more interesting than fiction. You just can't make this kind of stuff up. Dave.
Hi William! Where I live one state above you in NC it's only gotten into the lower 40's the past few days, upper teens and lower 20's at night. This weekend it won't get higher than the low 30's during the day as in fact it is supposed to get colder! But as I'm originally from New England, (Connecticut), really this weather down South here where you and I currently live would be considered a warm spell up north.
I lived up there for most of my life and can attest to the fact that 35 degrees is nothing!! Famously while I was in college back in Feb. of 1979, it did not get above 15 degrees, (during the day), and well below zero each overnight for at least a week. No one wanted to leave their dorm rooms just to go to classes although none were cancelled back then.
A friend of mine told me that last Feb. (2015), for the entire month up in CT the AVERAGE temperature was 18.5 or so degrees as analyzed statistically by meteorologists. It broke a record for that month that had been in existence since the early 1930's, colder than I remember that winter snap back in 1979! Now that is COLD!! And a reason why after re-locating down to NC in late 2007 I have never had any inclination to move back up there - despite the fact that I still have life-long friends who live up in CT.
As to the concept of the pyramid you were talking about with regards to online business and being a past victim of fraud opportunities that word - "Pyramid" along with the word that usually followed it - "Scheme" is a not so pleasant one at least for me. There are a lot of pyramid schemes still polluting the online business world.
I heard up in most of New England this coming weekend, (CT where I used to live) during the overnights on Saturday and Sunday that it is supposed to go down well below zero degrees - perhaps as low as -7 - 8 degrees outside! And that does not even count the wind chill factor which would make it even colder! Not fit even for penguins or polar bears!
I do agree with temps that cold that your funny quote you posted in your blog - "Freeze the balls off of a bass monkey" might be an actual fact. I hope that any monkeys, such as the image of one posted in your great article won't venture outside this weekend up in New England! I know that there is a zoo in Bridgeport, CT at least!
Hey Jeff, Thanks for the comment. I know that our 20's and 30's are nothing compared to the north but it's all relative, after you have been here and acclimated to it, you end up putting every thing you own to stay warm. LOL when I 1st moved south, I though these guys never had a real winter, but now I get COLD. LOL
William :)
See more comments
Hi William,
Not to "rain on your parade", although I myself thought that this was a highly colourful, if not accurate explanation regarding the origin of the term!
In the end though it turns out to be just another "urban legend"!
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/nautical-phrases.html
I do know however, that many expressions in the English language ARE derived from naval history, particularly as Britannia once ruled the waves……
Not many newcomers to the Internet know that there is a vast amount of information available to anyone who is prepared to do a simple Google search, a digital version of consulting the old traditional encyclopedias after one has dusted them off!
I personally enjoy looking at stuff from Wikipedia as well as other sources (e.g. the link above)
Nevertheless this kind of urban legend does have immense value in that it can be applied in an educational situation to instruct students on how to do their own research!
Few people, even those who are not new to the Internet, know that using Google or any other search engine is almost mandatory nowadays. Just goes to show how computer technology is changing the way in which we learn.
Fascinating, thanks William.
Kind regards,
~Arthur