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Post by Bix Dugan on Dec 7, 2009 10:26:34 GMT -5
I don't know if this true, but here's an explanation to the phrase...
CANNON BALLS!!! DID YOU KNOW THIS ?
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?
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Post by Truck Farmer on Dec 7, 2009 10:39:33 GMT -5
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Post by Crowfan on Dec 7, 2009 19:10:44 GMT -5
That's actually true. When my sister and her husband lived in Baltimore, we went out for a visit and took a tour of the ships in the Inner Harbor. Sure enough, that's what they did.
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Post by pyrozombie on Dec 8, 2009 1:57:56 GMT -5
This is incredible like me to say.
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Post by Grape on Dec 18, 2009 11:01:45 GMT -5
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Post by Bix Dugan on Dec 18, 2009 11:06:41 GMT -5
I'm going to forward this to my brother, who sent me the original message.
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Post by Grape on Dec 18, 2009 11:17:35 GMT -5
Sorry. I feel a bit of a swine now.
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Post by Dr. Henry Krasker on Dec 19, 2009 6:36:02 GMT -5
Sorry. I feel a bit of a swine now. There's noting wrong with setting the record straight.
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Post by Grape on Dec 19, 2009 12:09:28 GMT -5
Sorry. I feel a bit of a swine now. There's noting wrong with setting the record straight. No, you don't understand. I had 1/2 lb of Bacon on my desk and I was stroking it* * Please note: This is NOT a euphemism
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