Brass Monkey Trivia Options

[GriffGirl]

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 best storage method devised was to stack them as asquare 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, you thought that was just a vulgar expression, didn't you?

[illneversellmyce...]

wow learn something new every day, and to think at first i was dissapointed it wasnt about an old beastie boys song lol

[zero07]

They filmed the video for the song brass monkey...... no wait, it was you gotta fight for your right to party, at a house here in San Antonio!

[BloodyStupidDave...]

called, for reasons unknown, a Monkey.

It is likely that on big battle ships, the lads that loaded the shot into the cannons or fetched shot from the store room to the cannons, were called "shot monkeys". It is thought that on friggits, where the guns were on the main deck, the crew were smaller, and the shot was stored on the main deck rather than in a store room, that the storage local to the cannon might have been called a brass monkey.

The bit about the metals contracting at different rates is almost certainly part of folk etymology (scientifically, the difference is minimal) but it is possible that the shot balls suffered from freezing onto the brass monkeys.

There are other theories too, including that it is a reference to actual brass monkeys.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass_monkey_...ial_expression)

This post has been edited by BloodyStupidDavey: Oct 24, 2008 - 1:14 PM

[GriffGirl]

^That's an awesome contribution, thank you for sharing that! I'm such a sucker for useless trivia. I love that stuff! One of my favorite books is called What Makes Flamingos Pink by Bill McLain. Love that stuff!

Edit: On the above reference to the Beastie Boys... that's why I titled the thread the way I did; I knew it would draw the old school crowd!

This post has been edited by GriffGirl: Oct 24, 2008 - 2:56 PM

[D-Man]

It's storys like this is why i love history. Thanks for this one griff. Do you know where the middle finger comes from?

[jesterwr217]

brass monkey
that funky monkey.....

[GriffGirl]

Brass monkey junkie

[parriehunter]

It's storys like this is why i love history. Thanks for this one griff. Do you know where the middle finger comes from?

It comes from the middle ages. When archers got captured the capturers use to chop off the first and second fingers instead of keeping them as prisoners. Could you imagine trying to use a bow and arrow with your other two fingers? So the archers that had never been caught use to show their first and second fingers as an insult to those they were shooting at. Over time it just got shortened to the middle finger. .

Got to love the history channel.

[GriffGirl]

I <3 my thumbs.

[brthrurik]

and then there's always the good ol' Orange juice / Olde English "Brass Monkey"... sounds horrible, but not "that" bad.

[D-Man]

It's storys like this is why i love history. Thanks for this one griff. Do you know where the middle finger comes from?

It comes from the middle ages. When archers got captured the capturers use to chop off the first and second fingers instead of keeping them as prisoners. Could you imagine trying to use a bow and arrow with your other two fingers? So the archers that had never been caught use to show their first and second fingers as an insult to those they were shooting at. Over time it just got shortened to the middle finger. .

Got to love the history channel.

80%.

During the 100 years war the British captured a whole bunch of french and that's where they started this action of cutting off the middle fingers. It' was done to everyone regardless of weapon. Swordsmen cannot efficiently wield their swords (axe, whip, W/e) w/o their middle fingers either.

The British didn't have the resources to care for (iirc) 5000ish POW's, so they just cut off the fingers and sent them home. When the french came back to fight some more, the british fliped em off (as a battle cry; Like when mel gipson mooed the british in braveheart) and that battle was never fought (it's said) that the french turned around and walked home.

I did a history report on this in high school. It was great because when i had to present, i walked to the front of the class (and i had a really b!tchy teacher too) and fliped everyone off, as part of my presentation

[parriehunter]

Thanks D-Man for that accurate answer.

[axelrduvirage]

my Mother in law is a British War Bride. Put 2 pints of lager into her and she starts flipping everyone off. she has always used both her index and middle fingers. when she really means it, it's accompanied by a very wet raspberry.

[GriffGirl]

my Mother in law is a British War Bride. Put 2 pints of lager into her and she starts flipping everyone off. she has always used both her index and middle fingers. when she really means it, it's accompanied by a very wet raspberry.

Hmm... in my world, that's foreplay

[axelrduvirage]

why you coy little minx!...happy belated? b'day. sorry for the 'jacking. everyone back to work, nothing to see here...

This post has been edited by axelrduvirage: Nov 4, 2008 - 6:37 PM

[darthripley]

my Mother in law is a British War Bride. Put 2 pints of lager into her and she starts flipping everyone off. she has always used both her index and middle fingers. when she really means it, it's accompanied by a very wet raspberry.

that's how you flip someone off overseas.
just watch some Formula 1 Races or Saloon DTM racing & you'll catch some of the drivers doing the 2 fingers instead of just the middle one when they get pissed.

[RickJamesBish]

History is interesting...

Sort of like the origins of saying "bless you" after someone sneezes. It was always thought that when you sneezed, you'd be giving your soul a split-second chance to escape if you shot it out of your mouth. But it went back in if someone around them blessed the person.

This post has been edited by RickJamesBish: Nov 4, 2008 - 6:45 PM

[bslik]

^^^^ thats kinda scary ^^^^

[GriffGirl]

History is interesting...

Sort of like the origins of saying "bless you" after someone sneezes. It was always thought that when you sneezed, you'd be giving your soul a split-second chance to escape if you shot it out of your mouth. But it went back in if someone around them blessed the person.

I've read differently - it was my understanding that "bless you" originated during the plague and that the sneezing was a sign of illness/plague

why you coy little minx!...happy belated? b'day. sorry for the 'jacking. everyone back to work, nothing to see here...

Oh. my. god. I just read that. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!! ROFL


No, seriously. I'm sitting at work LOLing. It's actually quite embarrassing.

[RickJamesBish]

I've read differently - it was my understanding that "bless you" originated during the plague and that the sneezing was a sign of illness/plague

Your face gives me the plague.