Tides of War

Someone sent me a spam e-mail that was actually interesting for once.

In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters carried iron cannons. Those cannons fired round iron cannon balls. It was necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon. However, 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 30 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 or rolling from under the others. The solution was a metal plate called a "Monkey" with 16 round indentations. However, if this plate were made of 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 cannonballs would come right off the monkey. Thus, it was quite literally, "Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey."

Good trivia.

I love stuff like that.... 'Sleep tight' came from tighting up your hamock in rough seas dont you know.

'Sleep tight' came from tighting up your hamock in rough seas

So that's also where the bed bugs bit?

probably...

Nah the bed bugs bite you in dodgy hotel rooms.

Thing is that is false. Cannon balls tended to be held in wooden pallets not brass ones, brass was far too expensive.

The origin of the cold enough to freeze the balls of a brass monkey comes from the fact that the sign outside a pawn brokers 'three balls' is called a brass monkey.