"Freezing the balls off a brass monkey" & other Nautical terms

[snowleopard]

Re: \"Freezing the balls off a brass monkey\" & other Nautical terms

Larboard was the Lee-Board side. Changed to Port in the 19th century because of the tendency to mistake Starboard and Larboard when yelled across a windy deck.

 

[tsmyth]

Re: \"Freezing the balls off a brass monkey\" & other Nautical terms

I have heard that one but I think it is a furphy. See the OED.

Ray

 

[Superflid]

Re: \"Freezing the balls off a brass monkey\" & other Nautical terms

Re: Brass Monkey.

A brass-bar of length 1 metre @ 50c will shrink to 100 * 19 * 10-6 = 99.998 metres if it moves to a temperature of MINUS 50c.

So a tray a metre wide would shrink by around 0.2mm (although the temps used would have killed most of the sailors!).

Nice story. Not likely.....

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

Re: \"Freezing the balls off a brass monkey\" & other Nautical terms

I suspect it is more likely to be related to the change in ther structure of tin at low, but common, winter temperatures. This causes tin based solder to fail and soldered items, or those made of tin alloys such as pewter, to come apart. Held to be one of Napoleon's big problems when fighting Russia's traditional commanders Generals January and February in 1812-1813. Men don't fight too well when their canteens come apart, soldered elements on theor weapons come off and, so it is suggested, many trouser buttons gave up the ghost.

 

[aidancoughlan]

Re: \"Freezing the balls off a brass monkey\" & other Nautical terms

[ QUOTE ]
many trouser buttons gave up the ghost.

[/ QUOTE ] at those temperatures... maybe the problem was to do with freezing the b*lls off the poor sailor stacking the brass monkey!

 

[kds]

Re: \"Freezing the balls off a brass monkey\" & other Nautical terms

Yes - and didn't it explain why Scott and his party ran out of fuel to melt ice - the solder crystalised and the parafin in the tins leaked out , so each cache was without fuel for the return trip from the Pole ?
Ken