Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey

 

The popular urban myth that surrounds this saying suggests that the brass monkey was a kind of brass triangle-shaped ring that was used to support stacks of iron cannonballs on the decks of ships. In cold weather, it is alleged, the brass would contract, causing the balls to topple off. While this sounds plausible, it is in fact very unlikely.

Naval records show that cannonballs were stored in planks called 'shot garlands', which had circular holes cut into them for each cannonball, so they were never stacked in pyramids on ships. Also a pyramid of balls would topple over if the base is tilted by more than 30 degrees. This tilting, not to mention any sudden jolting, would have been commonplace on sailing ships. It just isn't feasible that cannonballs could have been stacked in this way.

So, what is the real origin of 'cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey'?

Interestingly, many early versions refer to heat rather than cold and the first known version of the phrase mentions neither balls nor cold.

"It was 'ot enough to melt the nose h'off a brass monkey."
Herman Melville's novel Omoo, 1847

"It would freeze the tail off of a brass monkey.
Before the Mast in the Clippers

"Cold enough to freeze the brass ears on a tin monkey."'
The Wearing of the Gray, 1865

There are many variants of the phrase in print from the 19th century:

    - less bashful than... (1867)
    - scald the throat of... (1870)
    - talk the leg off... (1872)
    - as cheeky as... (1873)
    - burn the ears off... (1876)
    - had touched the heart of... (1878)
    - singe the hair on... (1879)

With all of these possible variations, what could a brass monkey have been?

It may well be that a brass monkey was in fact a cannon. An inventory published in 1650 - "The articles of the rendition of Edenburgh-Castle to the Lord Generall Cromwel", lists "Short Brasse Munkeys alias Dogs." referring to ancient forms of cannon called brass monkeys, drakes, or dogs.

There's also a nautical reference from 1822 for the monkey tail which appears in the earliest known version of the phrase. This was a lever that was used to aim a cannon.

 
So could it be that once upon a time a monkey tail was actually frozen off a brass monkey cannon? We think this is unlikely.

There is no definitive answer to this riddle, however it is possible that the brass monkey phrase came about because of what the cannon stood for. The cannon was a form of protection for any town, castle or ship. It is likely that it was looked upon with pride by those it served to protect. And it was a pretty formidable form of defence. Cast in solid metal, a symbol of strength, impervious to the elements and enemies alike. What could be tougher than a solid brass cannon?  Cannons could also become very hot (in use) and very cold, being exposed to the elements. So if it was hot enough, or cold enough to do anything to a cannon, it had to be pretty hot or cold.

Looking again at the previously mentioned variations, it is possible to make a fit with the cannon as a brass monkey.

- less bashful than...
A pinch of irony here, bashful is something a cannon would never be

- scald the throat of...
Assuming the throat was the barrel, it would take a lot to scald a cannon's throat

- talk the leg off...
The leg could easily be the 'trail' or stabilising beam at the rear of the carriage

- as cheeky as...
A cannon actually has two cheeks, one either side of the barrel. The cheeks are wooden plates to which the barrel is mounted.

- burn the ears off...
Cannons can get hot! The ears could be the roundels that connect the barrel to the cheeks.

- had touched the heart of...
Ironic, if a cannon had any heart at all, it would be pretty hard to touch.

- singe the hair on...
Ironic, with a literal interpretation of the word monkey. If it was an actual brass monkey one would assume the monkey would have brass hairs - which would be pretty hard to singe.

The balls may have referred to the cascabel - a circular ball shaped casting on the back of most cannons. But really it's anybody's guess, one thing is for sure, the phrase has nothing to do with any unfortunate monkey incident.