In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships, and many freighters
carried
iron cannons. Those cannon fired round iron cannon balls.

It was necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon. But how to
prevent
them from rolling about the deck?

The best storage method devised was to stack them as a square based
pyramid,
with one ball on top, resting on four, resting on nine, which rested
on
sixteen. Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a
small area
right next to the cannon.

There was only one problem -- how to prevent the bottom layer from
sliding/rolling from under the others. The solution was a metal
plate with
16 round indentations, called a Monkey. But if this plate was made
of iron,
the iron balls would quickly rust to it.

The solution to the rusting problem was to make Brass Monkeys.

Few landlubbers realize, that brass contracts much more and much
faster than
iron when chilled.
Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass
indentations
would shrink so much, that the iron cannon balls would come right off
the
monkey.

Thus, it was quite literally, Cold enough to freeze the balls off a
brass
monkey!

All this time, you thought was an improper __expression, didn't you?

Now, you must send this fabulous bit of historical knowledge to at
least one
person, who's life will be ultimately enriched by the knowledge.

If you fail to do so, your floppy is going to fall off your hard
drive and
kill your mouse.