it's cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey

См. также в других словарях:

• cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey — ► cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey informal extremely cold. [ORIGIN: from a type of brass rack or ‘monkey’ in which cannonballs were stored and which contracted in very cold weather, ejecting the balls.] Main Entry: ↑brass …   English terms dictionary

• be cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey — British, very informal! brass monkey weather extremely cold weather. We were in Moscow, and it was cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey …   New idioms dictionary

• cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey — Meaning Very cold weather conditions. Origin Uncertain origin. Some references say that the brass triangles that supported stacks of iron cannonballs on sailing ships were called monkeys and that in cold weather, as brass contracts more than iron …   Meaning and origin of phrases

• monkey, cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass* —  Very cold …   A concise dictionary of English slang

• brass monkey Brit. — brass monkey Brit. informal used to indicate extremely cold weather: cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. [from a type of brass rack or ‘monkey’ in which cannonballs were stored and which contracted in very cold weather, ejecting… …   English new terms dictionary

• brass monkey — If it s brass monkey weather, or cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey, it is extremely cold …   The small dictionary of idiomes

• brass monkey — /bras ˈmʌŋki/ (say brahs mungkee) phrase Colloquial 1. brass monkey weather, very cold weather. 2. cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey, extremely cold. {US (mid 19th century); with reference to a monkey figurine made of brass,… …  

• brass monkey —    If it s brass monkey weather, or cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey, it is extremely cold.   (Dorking School Dictionary) …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

• Brass monkey —   If it s brass monkey weather, or cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey, it is extremly cold …   Dictionary of English idioms

• brass monkey weather — Noun. Very cold weather. From the phrase,  cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey . Cf. brassy and brass monkeys …   English slang and colloquialisms

• brass-monkey weather —  1. Extremely cold weather.  2* cold enough to freeze the balls  ♦ off a brass monkey Very cold …   A concise dictionary of English slang