As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
Most of you have either heard or used the following expressions, but you have no idea what they really mean. The source for the most part is the Navy, the British Navy of the 1800 era in history.
Freeze the balls off a monkey
Powder Monkey
Son of a Gun
The correct term is COLD ENOUGH TO FREEZE THE BALLS OFF A BRASS MONKEY. In warships, cannon balls were held on brass fixtures, called monkeys. In cold weather the brass would contract and the cannon balls would fall off on deck. Hence cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.
There was another monkey in the British Navy in the Powder Monkeys. For the most part these children were orphans who were placed on British ships to move powder to the guns.
What followed the Powder Monkeys were their origins in the British Navy.
In the same 1800 period, women were also serving on board Admiral Nelson's ships. The lower decks were the home of debauchery and women would often become impregnated. Their billowing clothes would hide the pregnancy and when it came time to birth the child, the child would be born between the guns, adopted into the British Navy as an orphan to be raised and returned to service.
Having no father, the boys would be called Son of a Gun, as to their station at birth and the only father they would ever know.
Just a big of naval history to remove your ignorance of things you have heard and said, and had no idea the origins of the phrases.
Nuff Said
agtG
