Cold Enough to Freeze the Balls off a Brass Monkey

It was quite literally, “cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.” ❄️🐒

British slang for being absolutely freezing - “It’s brass monkeys out there.”

But would you believe Brass Monkeys has maritime origins?

Back when ships relied on cannons for firepower, cannonballs were stored in neat pyramids on deck.

They were held in place on a brass tray with circular indentations – known as a monkey.

Here’s where it gets frosty:
Brass contracts more than iron in extreme cold.

So when temperatures dropped, the brass tray would shrink… and cannonballs would roll off, scattering across the deck like deadly marbles.

Fun Facts

The phrase appears in print in the 1800s.

By the mid-19th century, the expression was already being used in newspapers and sailor slang to describe extremely cold weather.

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The phrase became popular in the Royal Navy and merchant fleets.

Sailors loved exaggerated weather descriptions, and this one stuck.

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The origins are debated.

“Brass monkey” may come from Victorian slang, where it referred to a person’s backside…

Making the phrase a colourful way of describing bitter cold.