Gareth Owen wrote:

"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" writes:


Nope, it has a quite definite etymology, but a rather exotic one.


The story I've heard is that it refers (in some way I could never
figure) to cannonballs and powder monkeys on Naval ships.

I don't believe this though ... it has a certain aura of
implausibility to it, and just *feels* like a back-formation.
I've certainly never seen convinving evidence of it.

That one is pure bull ****e. It claimed that the racks the pyramids of
cannonballs were stacked on were made of brass and called "brass
monkeys". The story goes that differential thermal contraction in cold
weather would be enough to make the balls fall off them. No mention of
why they wouldn't fall off in hot weather from the motions of a rolling
ship. Hah!

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."