Road repair Northam-Pithara Rd
Patching and resurfacing the road, today working out at Cunjardine and Rossmore.
- km
- mile
This morning it was ‘cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.’
Hmm… Interesting colloquial term.
The original term didn’t mean that on cold days you would see a troop of brass monkeys looking for non-ferrous welders. However, I was told it meant that back in the day when cannon balls 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 cannon balls: hence very cold weather is ‘cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey’.
There are several problems with this explanation:
- the term ‘monkey’ is not otherwise recorded as being the name of such an object
- the rate of contraction of brass in cold temperatures is unlikely to be fast enough to cause the cannon balls to fall off.
- the phrase is actually first recorded as ‘freeze the tail off a brass monkey’, which removes any essential connection with balls.
It, therefore, seems most likely that the phrase is simply a humorous reference to the fact that its cold outside.
Speaking of things dropping off, anyone missing this?
It’s still out at the SLK:26 Here.. along the Northam-Pithara Rd.
Another thing we found was this…
A big hole over a culvert at the SLK:28.8 Here.. so be aware and try not to run into it. We have coned it off and reported it to mainroads.
UPDATE
06/07/17..
The big hole over a culvert at the SLK:28.8 has been filled in. Wow that was quick, guess filling in hazard observations really do work.