Meaning
Extremely cold. The headphrase contains a vulgar anatomical joke. 'Brass monkey weather' is the neutral alternative. Regional use: United Kingdom and other English varieties; the shortened form is especially British.
Origin
Nineteenth-century examples compare severe cold with various parts of a brass monkey, and the modern vulgar form developed later. The popular naval tale about iron cannonballs falling from a contracting brass tray is unsupported by the historical vocabulary, storage practice and physics; it should be identified as folklore, not the origin.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- Brass monkey weather
- Cold enough to freeze the tail off a brass monkey
- Cold enough to freeze the toes off a brass monkey
Usage Examples
- With the wind coming off the moor, it was cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.
- Bring the thick gloves; the forecast says it will be brass monkey weather by dusk.