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brass monkey

adj

Etymology

From the phrase cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. According to the U.S. Naval Historical Center, which cites the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, 'the first recorded use of the term "brass monkey" appears to dates^([sic]) to 1857 when it was used in an apparently vulgar context by C.A. Abbey in his book Before the Mast in the Clippers, where on page 108 it says "It would freeze the tail off a brass monkey."' A number of false etymologies have been suggested. For more information, see brass monkey on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Definitions

  1. Very cold.

    • It's brass monkey weather today, isn't it?
    • This is brass monkey weather and it'll get worse.
    • I forgot it'd be brass monkey weather in good old London.

  2. Alternative letter-case form of Brass Monkey (“cocktail”).

  3. A brand of inexpensive liquor.

  4. ›+ 1 more definition

    1. A cocktail of vodka, rum and orange juice, sometimes with the addition of Galliano.

The neighborhood

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sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA