brass monkey
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
God, it's cold enough to freeze the proverbials off a brass monkey!
Why doesn't it have a mark on it for absolute brass monkeys?
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review.
Common questions
What does “brass monkey” mean?
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
Is “brass monkey” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.