On the heels of "Pig and Whistle" Origins of freezing the balls off a brass monkey. In the days of British wooden fighting ships a device was used to stack iron cannon balls next to the breach loaders. It was called a brass monkey, kind of like a muffin pan with no bottom. The cannon balls were stacked in a pyramid shape. When the weather got to cold, as in freezing, the brass monkey would shrink and the iron cannon balls would roll off. It's amazing how many of our modern jargon comes from old nautical terms, i.e. show him the ropes, dead in the water, three sheets to the wind (drunk), stay the course, keel over, (dead). Anybody got more, let's hear 'em. Look for post about American Navy Uniform. Fair winds, Old salt...
