Re: dumb question.
 

Your most informative post confirms the vernacular usage most often
heard - and common to all parts of the South and West I've lived in.
Suffice to say that said creatures would lose reproductive capability
after exposure to the temperatures alluded to by the expression.

On Mon, 21 Aug 2006 04:14:10 UTC "billy ray" <billy_ray@SPAMfuse.net>
wrote:

> http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq107.htm
>
>
> "Hootowl" <ELN/zooo@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:4caie2hs7pscg5bth54e8hu5pfrstpkg0o@4ax.com...
> > On 20 Aug 2006 19:17:42 GMT, "Will Honea" <whonea@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >
> >>On Sat, 19 Aug 2006 22:01:12 UTC "DougW"
> >><post.replies@invalid.address> wrote:
> >>
> >>> That's my feeling. Maby they will send me up to Peterson AFB this
> >>> winter. :)
> >>
> >>Still not needed, Doug. COS hasn't seen more than 2 days below zero
> >>in a long time and AIR the coldest we saw this last winter was like
> >>-5. This global warming thing is questionable in it's extreme
> >>application, but we haven't had much winter for a good 8-10 years. Of
> >>course, the decade following the last string like that made brass
> >>monkies an endangered species <g>.
> >
> > Ok, this is also OT, but serious-what is a "brass monkey", if anyone
> > knows (they very well may not)? It appears to be an old (circa
> > 1890's-early 1900's) railroad term, but all efforts of historians to
> > find out have been so fruitless that no one can even speculate as to
> > what it was. I find the origins of old terms in our language
> > interesting, so I would love to know if ANYONE in here has any idea.
> >
> > Dan
>
>


--
Will Honea

Re: dumb question.
 

Your most informative post confirms the vernacular usage most often
heard - and common to all parts of the South and West I've lived in.
Suffice to say that said creatures would lose reproductive capability
after exposure to the temperatures alluded to by the expression.

On Mon, 21 Aug 2006 04:14:10 UTC "billy ray" <billy_ray@SPAMfuse.net>
wrote:

> http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq107.htm
>
>
> "Hootowl" <ELN/zooo@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:4caie2hs7pscg5bth54e8hu5pfrstpkg0o@4ax.com...
> > On 20 Aug 2006 19:17:42 GMT, "Will Honea" <whonea@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >
> >>On Sat, 19 Aug 2006 22:01:12 UTC "DougW"
> >><post.replies@invalid.address> wrote:
> >>
> >>> That's my feeling. Maby they will send me up to Peterson AFB this
> >>> winter. :)
> >>
> >>Still not needed, Doug. COS hasn't seen more than 2 days below zero
> >>in a long time and AIR the coldest we saw this last winter was like
> >>-5. This global warming thing is questionable in it's extreme
> >>application, but we haven't had much winter for a good 8-10 years. Of
> >>course, the decade following the last string like that made brass
> >>monkies an endangered species <g>.
> >
> > Ok, this is also OT, but serious-what is a "brass monkey", if anyone
> > knows (they very well may not)? It appears to be an old (circa
> > 1890's-early 1900's) railroad term, but all efforts of historians to
> > find out have been so fruitless that no one can even speculate as to
> > what it was. I find the origins of old terms in our language
> > interesting, so I would love to know if ANYONE in here has any idea.
> >
> > Dan
>
>


--
Will Honea

Re: dumb question.
 

Your most informative post confirms the vernacular usage most often
heard - and common to all parts of the South and West I've lived in.
Suffice to say that said creatures would lose reproductive capability
after exposure to the temperatures alluded to by the expression.

On Mon, 21 Aug 2006 04:14:10 UTC "billy ray" <billy_ray@SPAMfuse.net>
wrote:

> http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq107.htm
>
>
> "Hootowl" <ELN/zooo@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:4caie2hs7pscg5bth54e8hu5pfrstpkg0o@4ax.com...
> > On 20 Aug 2006 19:17:42 GMT, "Will Honea" <whonea@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >
> >>On Sat, 19 Aug 2006 22:01:12 UTC "DougW"
> >><post.replies@invalid.address> wrote:
> >>
> >>> That's my feeling. Maby they will send me up to Peterson AFB this
> >>> winter. :)
> >>
> >>Still not needed, Doug. COS hasn't seen more than 2 days below zero
> >>in a long time and AIR the coldest we saw this last winter was like
> >>-5. This global warming thing is questionable in it's extreme
> >>application, but we haven't had much winter for a good 8-10 years. Of
> >>course, the decade following the last string like that made brass
> >>monkies an endangered species <g>.
> >
> > Ok, this is also OT, but serious-what is a "brass monkey", if anyone
> > knows (they very well may not)? It appears to be an old (circa
> > 1890's-early 1900's) railroad term, but all efforts of historians to
> > find out have been so fruitless that no one can even speculate as to
> > what it was. I find the origins of old terms in our language
> > interesting, so I would love to know if ANYONE in here has any idea.
> >
> > Dan
>
>


--
Will Honea

Re: dumb question.
 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass_Monkey
God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
mailto:-------------------- http://www.----------.com/


Hootowl wrote:
>
> Ok, this is also OT, but serious-what is a "brass monkey", if anyone
> knows (they very well may not)? It appears to be an old (circa
> 1890's-early 1900's) railroad term, but all efforts of historians to
> find out have been so fruitless that no one can even speculate as to
> what it was. I find the origins of old terms in our language
> interesting, so I would love to know if ANYONE in here has any idea.
>
> Dan

Re: dumb question.
 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass_Monkey
God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
mailto:-------------------- http://www.----------.com/


Hootowl wrote:
>
> Ok, this is also OT, but serious-what is a "brass monkey", if anyone
> knows (they very well may not)? It appears to be an old (circa
> 1890's-early 1900's) railroad term, but all efforts of historians to
> find out have been so fruitless that no one can even speculate as to
> what it was. I find the origins of old terms in our language
> interesting, so I would love to know if ANYONE in here has any idea.
>
> Dan

Re: dumb question.
 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass_Monkey
God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
mailto:-------------------- http://www.----------.com/


Hootowl wrote:
>
> Ok, this is also OT, but serious-what is a "brass monkey", if anyone
> knows (they very well may not)? It appears to be an old (circa
> 1890's-early 1900's) railroad term, but all efforts of historians to
> find out have been so fruitless that no one can even speculate as to
> what it was. I find the origins of old terms in our language
> interesting, so I would love to know if ANYONE in here has any idea.
>
> Dan

Re: dumb question.
 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass_Monkey
God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
mailto:-------------------- http://www.----------.com/


Hootowl wrote:
>
> Ok, this is also OT, but serious-what is a "brass monkey", if anyone
> knows (they very well may not)? It appears to be an old (circa
> 1890's-early 1900's) railroad term, but all efforts of historians to
> find out have been so fruitless that no one can even speculate as to
> what it was. I find the origins of old terms in our language
> interesting, so I would love to know if ANYONE in here has any idea.
>
> Dan

Re: dumb question.
 

The best explanation I have heard dates to the old navy times. They used
a formed/dimpled brass plate on the old ships to stack cannon balls
on, the brass monkey. When it got cold enough the brass would shrink and
the cannon balls would roll off. "Freeze the balls off a brass monkey"

Of course this raises a new question. Why did they call it a brass monkey?

Lurch

Hootowl wrote:
> On 20 Aug 2006 19:17:42 GMT, "Will Honea" <whonea@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 19 Aug 2006 22:01:12 UTC "DougW"
>> <post.replies@invalid.address> wrote:
>>
>>> That's my feeling. Maby they will send me up to Peterson AFB this winter. :)
>> Still not needed, Doug. COS hasn't seen more than 2 days below zero
>> in a long time and AIR the coldest we saw this last winter was like
>> -5. This global warming thing is questionable in it's extreme
>> application, but we haven't had much winter for a good 8-10 years. Of
>> course, the decade following the last string like that made brass
>> monkies an endangered species <g>.
>
> Ok, this is also OT, but serious-what is a "brass monkey", if anyone
> knows (they very well may not)? It appears to be an old (circa
> 1890's-early 1900's) railroad term, but all efforts of historians to
> find out have been so fruitless that no one can even speculate as to
> what it was. I find the origins of old terms in our language
> interesting, so I would love to know if ANYONE in here has any idea.
>
> Dan

Re: dumb question.
 

The best explanation I have heard dates to the old navy times. They used
a formed/dimpled brass plate on the old ships to stack cannon balls
on, the brass monkey. When it got cold enough the brass would shrink and
the cannon balls would roll off. "Freeze the balls off a brass monkey"

Of course this raises a new question. Why did they call it a brass monkey?

Lurch

Hootowl wrote:
> On 20 Aug 2006 19:17:42 GMT, "Will Honea" <whonea@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 19 Aug 2006 22:01:12 UTC "DougW"
>> <post.replies@invalid.address> wrote:
>>
>>> That's my feeling. Maby they will send me up to Peterson AFB this winter. :)
>> Still not needed, Doug. COS hasn't seen more than 2 days below zero
>> in a long time and AIR the coldest we saw this last winter was like
>> -5. This global warming thing is questionable in it's extreme
>> application, but we haven't had much winter for a good 8-10 years. Of
>> course, the decade following the last string like that made brass
>> monkies an endangered species <g>.
>
> Ok, this is also OT, but serious-what is a "brass monkey", if anyone
> knows (they very well may not)? It appears to be an old (circa
> 1890's-early 1900's) railroad term, but all efforts of historians to
> find out have been so fruitless that no one can even speculate as to
> what it was. I find the origins of old terms in our language
> interesting, so I would love to know if ANYONE in here has any idea.
>
> Dan

Re: dumb question.
 

The best explanation I have heard dates to the old navy times. They used
a formed/dimpled brass plate on the old ships to stack cannon balls
on, the brass monkey. When it got cold enough the brass would shrink and
the cannon balls would roll off. "Freeze the balls off a brass monkey"

Of course this raises a new question. Why did they call it a brass monkey?

Lurch

Hootowl wrote:
> On 20 Aug 2006 19:17:42 GMT, "Will Honea" <whonea@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 19 Aug 2006 22:01:12 UTC "DougW"
>> <post.replies@invalid.address> wrote:
>>
>>> That's my feeling. Maby they will send me up to Peterson AFB this winter. :)
>> Still not needed, Doug. COS hasn't seen more than 2 days below zero
>> in a long time and AIR the coldest we saw this last winter was like
>> -5. This global warming thing is questionable in it's extreme
>> application, but we haven't had much winter for a good 8-10 years. Of
>> course, the decade following the last string like that made brass
>> monkies an endangered species <g>.
>
> Ok, this is also OT, but serious-what is a "brass monkey", if anyone
> knows (they very well may not)? It appears to be an old (circa
> 1890's-early 1900's) railroad term, but all efforts of historians to
> find out have been so fruitless that no one can even speculate as to
> what it was. I find the origins of old terms in our language
> interesting, so I would love to know if ANYONE in here has any idea.
>
> Dan