Chris -

Funny story, but not true.

Have you ever gone around a corner in your Vanagon (RVC) at a good rate of
speed?  Heels over pretty good, doesn't it?

Same thing happens on a sailing ship with the wind from any quarter other
than straight aft.  Piling things up isn't a good plan, especially cannon
balls. Think about a strong breeze from starboard and three foot waves, and
watch your feet!

IIRC the urban legends sites said there was no well defined source for the
'Freeze the balls off a brass monkey' statement.  Not quite sure why you
consider it dirty, though.  I keep my brass well polished.

- Mike

Date:    Fri, 8 Feb 2002 12:09:09 EST
From:    JordanVw@AOL.COM
Subject: friday humor (NVC whatsoever) (f)

this was fwd to me, thought it was funny..
chris

 > In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters
 > carried iron cannons. Those cannon fired round iron cannon balls. It
 > was necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon. But how to prevent
 > them from rolling about the deck?
 > The best storage method devised was a square based pyramid
 > with one ball on top, resting on four resting on nine which rested on
 > sixteen. Thus, a supply of thirty cannon balls could be stacked in a
small
 > area right next to the cannon.
 > There was only one problem -- how to prevent the bottom layer from
 > sliding/rolling from under the others. The solution was a metal plate
 > called a "Monkey" with sixteen round indentations. But, if this plate was
 > made of=A0 iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it. The solution to
the
 > rusting problem was to make "Brass Monkeys."
 > Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much
 > faster than iron when chilled. Consequently, when the temperature dropped
 > too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannon
 > balls would come right off the monkey. Thus, it was quite literally,
"Cold
 > enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey!" (And all this time, you
 > thought that was a dirty expression, didn't you?)

Mike Finkbiner
mike_l_f@hotmail.com

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