Macbeast
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| posted on 12/12/07 at 04:49 AM |
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Brass monkey is supposed to be a triangular thing (like a snooker triangle ) which lets you pile up cannon balls in a pyramid and when it froze the
cannon balls were supposed to somehow scatter.
This has always seemed very dubious. Would you make such a triangle from brass ? If they froze, wouldn't the cannon balls stick together rather
than go walkies ?
I think it's just an obvious image, maybe of the brass models of the three wise monkeys.
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02GF74
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| posted on 12/12/07 at 08:22 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Macbeast
Brass monkey is supposed to be a triangular thing (like a snooker triangle ) which lets you pile up cannon balls in a pyramid and when it froze the
cannon balls were supposed to somehow scatter.
This has always seemed very dubious. Would you make such a triangle from brass ? If they froze, wouldn't the cannon balls stick together rather
than go walkies ?
I think it's just an obvious image, maybe of the brass models of the three wise monkeys.
It is dubious becasue it is not true.
how about "taking the piss"
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 12/12/07 at 09:21 AM |
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This is a very interesting BBC article on the origins of swear words...
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