grizz3rd

Always being one to try and part words of wisdom or stupid trivial knowledge actually here is a good one.


In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and
many freighters carried iron cannons. Those cannons
fired round iron cannon balls. It was necessary to
keep a good supply near the cannon, but how to
prevent them from rolling about the deck?

The best storage method devised was 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 or rolling from under the others.

The solution was a metal plate called a "Monkey"
with 16 round indentations. 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
"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,
you thought that was an improper expression, didn't
you?)