Yet another interesting origin of a phrase, this time as reported in
Harry Newton's Telecommunication Dictionary:
Edited for brevity ...
In the 16th and 17th centuries, most things were shipped by boat.
Among the products so shipped was dried manure (tightly bailed) as
commercial manufactured fertilizers weren't yet invented. Shipping it
dry reduced its weight yet produced another problem. Once the bails
of manure got wet, the fermentation process started with the byproduct
of methane gas (highly flammable). Several accidents occurred as the
result of bails of manure being stowed low in the hold of the ship and
getting wet due to water in the low part of the ship. These accidents
usually occurred when a crewman decended into the hold with a lantern
... ka BOOM! Investigations soon revealed that these manure bail
should be kept out of the water, or on the upper or higher decks. The
labeling used on the bails was Ship High In Transit, which became
S.H.I.T., which became ....
Lisa Minter < XXXX@XXXXX.COM > wrote in message
news:< XXXX@XXXXX.COM >:
> A few thousand years agom as incredible as it sounds, men and women
> took baths only twice a year (May and October)! Women kept their hair
> covered, while men shaved their heads (because of lice and bugs) and
> wore wigs. Wealthy men could afford good wigs made from wool. They
> couldn't wash the wigs, so to clean them they would carve out a loaf
> of bread, put the wig in the shell, and bake it for 30 minutes. The
> heat would make the wig big and fluffy, hence the term "big wig."
> Today we often use the term "here comes the Big Wig" because someone
> appears to be or is powerful and wealthy.
> In more recent years, common entertainment included playing
> cards. However, there was a tax levied when purchasing playing cards
> but only applicable to the "Ace of Spades." To avoid paying the tax,
> people would purchase 51 cards instead. Yet, since most games require
> 52 cards, these people were thought to be stupid or dumb because they
> weren't "playing with a full deck."
> In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters
> carried iron cannons. Those cannons fired round iron cannon balls. It
> was necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon. However, 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 30
> 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 or rolling from under the others. The solution was a
> metal plate called a "Monkey" with 16 round indentations.
> However, if this plate were 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 cannonballs would come right off the monkey. Thus, it was quite
> literally, "Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey." (All
> this time, you thought that was an improper expression, didn't you.)