brass monkeys

"Fookin Hell man, its cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey!"

abbrev. to : brass monkeys

i.e. : its brass monkeys out here
by wankelschnitzel October 08, 2003
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brass monkey

The BEST song of all time by the Beastie boys. If you listen to this you’re elite and deserve rights. You are VERY poggers
by shmores May 27, 2020
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brass monkey

While the exact origin of the term 'brass monkey' is unkown, it's 200-plus year usage history indicates its original meaning is related to the Kelvin Spheres that sit on either side of a ship's binnacle. The balls, which are iron, help offset magnetic shifts so the compass inside the binnacle remains pointed toward magnetic north. The two balls are traditionally mounted on brass arms, which were called 'monkeys' by sailors in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The phrase 'cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey' didn't rear its head into common usage until the 20th century. Original uses referred to 'freezing the tail of a brass monkey,' or 'melting the nose off a brass monkey,' and can be found in 19th century sailing texts like Herman Melville's "Omoo" ('...it was 'ot enough to melt the nose h'off a brass monkey....').

Again, while the exact meaning is unkown, the term has beeen definitively rejected by the Department of the Navy, the Oxford English Dictionary and other noted etymologists as describing a pyramid of cannonballs on a brass tray. Not only were they never used on board ship during the age of sail as they would have rolled everywhere with the rocking of the ship, but the balls and tray would expand and contract at nearly the same rate due to cold and heat, and therefore the stack would never have fallen apart due temperature change.
'Cold enough to freeze the tail off a brass monkey.'
by Sailor Clay May 18, 2009
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brass monkey

(n) 1. an alcoholic beverage consisting of vodka, rum (usually dark), and orange juice. Essentially a screwdriver with rum. Named for the brass-like color the dark rum and OJ create when mixed.
2. an alcoholic beverage consisting of malt liquor (usually 8 Ball or St. Ides) and Sunny Delight.
3. a 40 oz bottle of booze
4. a dance one can only do when drunk out of his mind.
5. a penis; a dick or schlong
6. An expression used to mean cold or chilly weather.
1. "Monkey tastes def when you pour it on ice
Come on y'all it's time to get nice" - The Beastie Boys, "Brass Monkey"
2. "Cause I drink it anytime - and anyplace
When it's time to get ill - I pour it on my face" - The Beastie Boys
3. I'm going to get some o' dat brass monkey down on Crenshaw, J ...you wanna come?
4. "I got gold, I got funky
I got the new dance they call the Brass Monkey"- "Slow Ride", Beastie Boys
5. Damn, she was all up on my brass monkey.
6. It's cold enough to freeze a brass monkey's balls OR It's colder than a brass monkey's ass.

by Jam Master J March 10, 2006
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brass monkey

Alcoholic beverage consisting of Rum, Vodka,and Orange Juice.
This is the recipe of the drink that inspired the beastie boys to write Brass Monkey. It's a popular drink to have when your in high school. And I mean "IN" school. Teachers and faculty can't detect the smell of alcohol over the orange juice.
by Jayson Lewellyn December 20, 2003
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brass monkey

old naval term, brass monkey is for the canon ball holders.
by Anonymous September 26, 2003
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brass monkey

used as an adjective describing extreme cold temperatures

from the adage "cold enough to freeze the balls off of a brass monkey"

A: Wanna go out for a walk?
B: No way, man, it's brass monkeys out there!
by cyberpope67,BC,Canada January 24, 2008
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