Cold as a What??
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
Eugene, Oregon
December 13, 2017 12:45pm CST
Yesterday morning, when it was 23 degrees here, ice was crusted on my windshield and locally, cars were sliding off of hilly roads, I remarked to Anne that it was as "cold as a well digger's lunch bucket," which is variation of that well-worn phrase about a well digger's anatomy.
Then, I was wondering about other ways of expressing how cold it is? Maybe, in your area, there are ways of saying "It's cold as a .... " that some of us have not heard.
Since official winter is eight days away, we may need new ways to say it, so
please chime in with suggestions.
19 people like this
21 responses
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
29 Dec 17
@vandana7 Well now, that would be telling.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
14 Dec 17
Oh yes, that witch did have some cold anatomy I recall, @amadeo!
2 people like this
@JudyEv (325854)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Dec 17
Like @Morleyhunt we'd use the phrase 'cold enough to freeze the balls off a br*ss monkey'. And it seems I can't put 'br*ss monkey' without getting a 'bad word' signal but it appears in full in Morley's comment. I think that's prejudice don't you? 
3 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
14 Dec 17
@JudyEv & @MorleyHunt, I am surprised that any part of that bra ss monkey got by. I knew some would mention that good old saying.
3 people like this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
14 Dec 17
I put an extra space between brass and monkey and then the bad word signal disappeared. I've substituted $$ for the es and that has also fixed the problem. If you want to use a bad word there are a few work arounds. The extra space surprised me...because when my comment was published..I didn't really see any extra space...
. Obviously the powers that be approve of my brass you know whats more than yours.
. Obviously the powers that be approve of my brass you know whats more than yours. 3 people like this
@JudyEv (325854)
• Rockingham, Australia
14 Dec 17
@Morleyhunt @JamesHxstatic. I just had the same trouble with sn*igger which I've had before too. The other one the site doesn't like - but it must have got its magnifying glass out to find - is 'char*donnay.
3 people like this
@sallypup (57944)
• Centralia, Washington
14 Dec 17
@JamesHxstatic I wish you luck. Its our anniversary tomorrow so I am not leaving at 7:30 am!!! Oh I love to write that. I will leave for a late lunch but not that early morning freak out.
2 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
14 Dec 17
It will be about 20 tonight, so maybe more ice tomorrow.
2 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
14 Dec 17
@sallypup I will not be going our early, so no ice scraping for me. Happy Anniversary to you both!
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
13 Dec 17
When it gets really cold we use the phrase...cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. And no that isn't an X rated reference. I think I did a discussion on the origin of the phrase...brass monkey last year.
3 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
14 Dec 17
@JudyEv Ohhh, that "monkey." Thanks for 'splainin' to me.
2 people like this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
13 Dec 17
@JudyEv yup. That's the explanation. You have no idea how hard it was to get mylot to accept those words...
3 people like this
@JudyEv (325854)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Dec 17
It's to do with cannon balls. The brass tray that held cannon balls on the decks of ships was called a 'monkey'. In cold weather the tray would contract a little and the brass balls would fall off. But if you did a discussion on it no doubt you know all that. 
Perhaps @JamesHxstatic would like to read this explanation to save me typing it out again. 
Perhaps @JamesHxstatic would like to read this explanation to save me typing it out again. 4 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
14 Dec 17
That is one I have never heard, thanks!
2 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
13 Dec 17
He was a great little 15 pounder that I got for my daughter when she was 12 and I was single parenting. He became my dog when she went to college and he an I were great walking, ball playing and TV buddies. Both Anne and I miss him.
4 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
13 Dec 17
@Kandae11 Fifteen, we spent a small fortune trying to save him.
3 people like this
@RasmaSandra (73473)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
14 Dec 17
It's as cold as sitting on a frozen river. Here in Riga, Latvia when the Daugava River which divides the city in two parts freezes over guy of all ages go out on the ice to do some ice fishing.
1 person likes this
@nanette64 (20364)
• Fairfield, Texas
14 Dec 17
"Coldern' a well-digger's gizzard" is the one I've known all my life @JamesHxstatic .
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
14 Dec 17
Oh yes, no doubt that gizzard would get frigid!
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
15 Dec 17
Ahh yes, you are in for a warm winter!
1 person likes this
@Melanie_Marie (1786)
• New Baltimore, Michigan
13 Dec 17
I'll admit I told my friend at the 7-Eleven store that it was "cold as crap" out there.
But it was super, super, cold....only 11 degrees F yesterday. 
...And now we're under a winter storm warning. So I'm just sittin' at home here. Flew over to Meijer VERY early this morning and got all my grocery shopping done before the snow hit. I don't think I'll be leaving home for a few days.
But it was super, super, cold....only 11 degrees F yesterday.
...And now we're under a winter storm warning. So I'm just sittin' at home here. Flew over to Meijer VERY early this morning and got all my grocery shopping done before the snow hit. I don't think I'll be leaving home for a few days.1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
13 Dec 17
That sounds ominous. We get little snow usually but had two or three ice and snow storms last year. It pretty much shuts the town down here when that happens. Schools were closed for a week.
1 person likes this
(Just read your caption under the pic.)
@misunderstood_zombie (8142)
• United States
14 Dec 17
I know one that I always thought crude. It has to do with a witch's anatomy. I've always hated this one.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (170025)
• United States
14 Dec 17
Although I have never said it. I always heard the cold as a witches part of the anatomy. Somebody from Australia told me one once, cold as a frog's tonsil.
@changjiangzhibin89 (16533)
• China
14 Dec 17
I haven't known of well digger's lunch bucket.If it is cold ,We say it is so cold that the water freezes as it drips.
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
14 Dec 17
I usually just say "It's cold as" and then use an expletive!
@Hannihar (129481)
• Israel
14 Dec 17
Sorry no suggestions but we need rain here in Jerusalem. We do not always get snow and hope this year we do not. Our winters are suppose to be full of rain but so far not much but we still have the rest of December and January, February, March and possibly April.
