Cannon Ship Phrases "SON OF A GUN"

[Bullmoose]

I was watching this British Man of War History show and they were talking about letting the family stay on the ships while in port. These families just about lived on the ships and some of the wives were about to have their babies. So these ladies would lay between 2 Blackpowder cannons. To help any mothers unable to push out the babies, the cannons on both sides would be fired to cause a "percussion push" on the would be mother. This is were we got the phrase "SON OF A GUN"

Also on these same ships, the crew would eat off these square wooden plates, and this is how we got the pharse, "Getting a Square Meal"


Does anyone know of were the phrase "Freezing the Balls off a Brass Monkey." came from??
If you want to know, it is another Cannon phrase. I'll tell ya if interested. :thumbsup: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:
I heard that was false about the monkey thing though, but still a neat concept.

 

[robinghewitt]

Oddly the second item might actually be true. You got 3 square meals a day :thumbsup:

 

[mckutzy]

wasn't the brass monkey the holder for the cannon balls, and when the weather got cold the frame contracted due to a different rate than that of the iron balls causing them to fall loose on the deck, as what i was told.

 

http://www.snopes.com/language/phrases/sonofgun.asp

 

[Bullmoose]

Goes to show you that even the HISTORY PEOPLE get it wrong, or make it up.
Yes that is true on cannonball holders made of brass,

Subject: brass monkey

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 a square based pyramid with one
ball on top, resting on four resting on nine which rested on sixteen.
Thus, a supply of thirty 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
called a "Monkey" with sixteen round indentations. 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!"
(And all this time, you thought that was a dirty expression, didn't you?) but after research on this, even that was never a fact, sooooooo they used wooden holders, similar to bowling ball shelves, :shake: :youcrazy:

 

Also on these same ships, the crew would eat off these square wooden plates, and this is how we got the pharse, "Getting a Square Meal"

You've never been through officer's training in the military. Its called "eating on the square."

cp

 

[Blizzard of '93]

don't know how it is now but 'Nam era U.S. Navy combat ships used square metal 'plates' (trays) with seperate indents stamped in to hold 'chow'.

 

[Coot]

Also on these same ships, the crew would eat off these square wooden plates, and this is how we got the pharse, "Getting a Square Meal"

You've never been through officer's training in the military. Its called "eating on the square."

cp

The phrase "A square meal" predates modern officer training. I say modern officer training because the Romans likely had academies but formal officer training academies as we know them today are a 19th century thing. And fortunately "eating on the square" is/was hardly a universal practice. :wink:

 

For a moment there I thought you would vector off into the why and howcome of the nautical (leave it to the Navy :thumbsup: )origins of the phrase: Ship Hi In Tranit - but was somewhat disapointed that you did not......... :hmm:

 

[threepdr]

The "Son of a Gun" and "Brass Monkey" fancifull stories are simply that, and have no basis in fact.

However, there may be something to the origin of "three square meals" story. Square wooden trenchers were used to eat from for hundreds of years in all walks of English life, both military and civilian. On a recent trip to UK I saw square trenchers on the HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and Ann Hathaway's cottage to name a few places. I'm sure they were used concurrently in other parts of the world too.

 

[robinghewitt]

Something dangerously unpredictable is a "loose cannon".

How about the toast. "Splice the mainbrace"?

The mainbrace being the largest rope on the ship was incredibly difficult to splice and success meant an extra rum ration all round (if the story is true) :hmm: