<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject . You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate . (April 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> The phrase "cold enough to freeze the balls off (or on) a brass monkey" is a colloquial expression used by some English speakers . The reference to the testes (as the term balls is commonly understood to mean) of the brass monkey appears to be a 20th - century variant on the expression, prefigured by a range of references to other body parts, especially the nose and tail . </P> <P> The story goes that cannonballs used to be stored aboard ship in piles, on a brass frame or tray called a' monkey' . In very cold weather the brass would contract, spilling the cannonballs: hence very cold weather is' cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey' . There are several problems with this story, as follows: </P> <Ul> <Li> the term' monkey' is not otherwise recorded as the name for such an object </Li> <Li> the rate of contraction of brass in cold temperatures is unlikely to be fast enough to cause the reputed effect </Li> <Li> the phrase is actually first recorded as' freeze the tail off a brass monkey', which removes any essential connection with balls . </Li> </Ul>

Where did the saying freeze the balls off a brass monkey come from
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