This is an interesting saying. I believe this refers to cannon balls. They used to be stored on a stand where they could be stacked for access during battle. The stand was called a brass monkey. It had to be fairly sturdy to keep the balls in place in rough seas. The saying comes from the fact that extreme cold would contract the assembly enough to have the balls fall off.
Or so I've heard.
Yes @Susquatch it is not meant to be rude rather it refers to the safe holding of cannon balls beside their specific cannon on man-of-war vessels. Apparently the first monkeys were cast iron or steel, and due to the salty air iron cannon balls quickly rusted to said monkeys. Navies quickly switched to brass monkeys however in extreme cold cast iron cannon balls often froze to brass monkeys.
Hence the old saying 'cold enough to freeze the balls on a brass monkey'.
I've read where life was rough way back when, where men were men, women were women and they knew the difference.
@Brent H, the old sea dog could probably embellish on this saying. Devil made me say that.
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