The Brass Monkey Story
It's the winter chill in the Southern Downs that has earned the season its nickname, so where does the old saying 'cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey' originate? Like most tales, there are several competing accounts. One legend has it that on the warships of old, cannon balls were kept in brass racks known as monkeys. Water would often collect in these racks, and in winter, it would freeze and expand, dislodging the balls so they spilled out of the racks. And that's how the brass monkey lost its balls.
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