IT'S RAINING FROZEN IGUANAS IN FLORIDA

by Bob Walsh

Most people who speak standard English have head of "It's raining cats and dogs" and "Its cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey but very few have heard "Its raining frozen iguanas."

Yesterday in parts of southern Florida it got so cold that Iguanas fell out of the trees. It wasn't truly freezing, it was about 40, but if you are an Iguana that is cold enough to make you immobile and you are then likely to fall off of whatever branch you are hanging on to and hit the pavement, deck, or swimming pool immediately underneath you, probably to your detriment.

By the way, just as a matter of interest, the Brass Monkey saying has nothing to do with testicles or apes. The Brass Monkey in question is a brass plate, sort of like an egg crate, that was used on sailing ships to hold cannon balls near the guns for immediate use if necessary. Brass was used so that the cannon balls, which were typically cast iron, would not rust to them. Once they started sailing to cold water ports in poor weather it would at times, get so cold the brass would shrink enough (probably aided by ice build-up) that that pockets would not hold the cannon balls, popping them off and sending them rolling around the deck rather dangerously. Hence the old saying.

The Cats and Dogs saying comes from a time when most housing had thatched roofs. The local dog and cat population often lived on or in the roofs much of the time, snuggling down very nice and helping to keep down the rat and mouse population in the thatch at the same time. However, when it rained REALLY REALLY hard the thatch would get so soaked that the dogs and cats did not much like it and they would come down for more comfortable digs.

I am not sure that ITS RAINING FROZEN IGUANAS will make it into the common lexicon, but you never know.