brass monkey
Cannonball holder historically
Brass monkey appears in the expression cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey, describing extreme cold.
The phrase is often shortened: It's brass monkeys out there.
Folk etymology claims it refers to a brass rack for cannonballs on ships, but this is almost certainly false—the expression likely just invokes the absurd image of metal testicles freezing and breaking off a decorative statue.
Extremely cold
- frigidExtremely and intensely cold
- nippyUnpleasantly cold
- frostbiteFreezing of body tissue
- hypothermiaDangerously low body temperature
shivering · bitter · arctic · polar · subzero · icy · gelid · chilly
Round artillery ammunition
- stackItems piled vertically
- pyramidPointed polyhedral solid
- shipSeagoing transport vessel
- deckShip's flat surface
frigate · galleon · gunpowder · ammunition · naval · cannon · ordnance · warship
Unverified and probably untrue
- mythTraditional explanatory tale
- urban legendUnverified viral story
- debunkedExposed as fraudulent
- misconceptionErroneous belief or understanding
tall tale · legend · hoax · fabrication · spurious · linguistic · questionable · unverified
freezing
Extremely cold
hypothermia · shivering · bitter · arctic · polar · subzero · icy · gelid · chilly · wintry
cannonball
Round artillery ammunition
deck · frigate · galleon · gunpowder · ammunition · naval · cannon · ordnance · warship · gunnery
apocryphal
Unverified and probably untrue
- mythTraditional explanatory tale
- urban legendUnverified viral story
- debunkedExposed as fraudulent
misconception · tall tale · legend · hoax · fabrication · spurious · linguistic · questionable · unverified
vulgar
Crude or indecent
- slangInformal in-group vocabulary
- BritishOf the United Kingdom
- colloquialCasual, everyday language
expression · euphemism · crude · humorous · off-color · profanity · balls · coarse · idiomatic · informal
- Pole Danceinvert, inversion, shoulder mount, climb, handspring
- Cold Expressionsfreezing cold, bitter cold, bone-chilling, cold snap, cold spell
brass monkeyscorching
Extremely hot, burning
sweltering · boiling · tropical · hot · roasting
brass monkeywhiskey neat
Spirit served undiluted
gin and tonic · martini · single malt · vodka soda · highball
brass, monkey, brassy, monkeys, brassier, brassiest, brassiness