Definition

Noun: 1. A metal stand that formerly held cannon balls on sailing ships: A brass monkey was a specific piece of naval equipment, a rack or frame, used to store and organize cannonballs (round shot) on the decks of warships.

Usage Notes

• This term is historical and technical, primarily used in the context of naval history and old sailing vessels.
• It is most commonly encountered today in the idiomatic phrase "cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey," which is a vulgar expression for extremely cold weather. The idiom's origin is disputed and often involves folk etymologies related to the contraction of metal in the cold causing cannonballs to fall from the stand.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The sailor was ordered to fetch more shot from the brass monkey near the mainmast.
  • Historical records describe the brass monkey as an essential piece of gear for organizing ammunition.

Advanced Usage

• The term is almost exclusively used in its historical sense or within the famous idiom. Its standalone use outside these contexts is very rare.

Variants and Related Words

• Monkey (noun, historical): In naval parlance, "monkey" could refer to a small container or rack. A "powder monkey" was a boy who carried gunpowder.
• Shot garland (noun): Another term for a rope or rack used to hold cannonballs.

Synonyms

• (Historical) Cannonball rack, shot rack, shot stand.

Related Idioms

• "(It's) cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey": A coarse, hyperbolic expression meaning the weather is intensely cold.
  • Don't go outside without a coat; it's cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey out there.

Noun

1. a metal stand that formerly held cannon balls on sailing ships