If you enjoy watching my films why not throw me a one-off contribution via paypal! www.paypal.me/julianmcdonnell Or if you want to chip in a couple of ££ a month you can support me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/joolzguides Or contact me on my website for a private guided tour of London joolzguides.com/ Thanks everyone....one of these days I'll be a star!!!!!!! Please follow my Instagram at instagram.com/joolzguidesofficial/

@devanpig287

3 жыл бұрын

When can I book a tour?

@hisdivinegraceimperialmaje4178

3 жыл бұрын

why dont u sometimes include a map image of exactly where u are located out of interest to some people

@mgmassey174

3 жыл бұрын

You are a star. "We are stardust we are golden" Joni Mitchell My grandmother,who has unfortunately ,blood ties to inbreds there,used to use the "pillars to post" idiom. Its 64 years that I've pondered where that phrase came from. Bless you.

@nevincharles8189

3 жыл бұрын

Very interesting! My grandmother said "from pillar to post" a lot. I always thought she was saying "from pillow to post". We are from a former british colony in the Caribbean. My great great grandfather was brought by the British from India to work in the sugarcane plantations as an indentured servant. Amazing that these idioms were picked up by the servants. Great work Joolz!

@beverleypurdy6848

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Joolz, I have sent a message to you via your Instagram account. I have made a company aware of you that run virtual tours around the world in case you are interested.

Joolz's is great isn't he..... Love those innuendos 😂😂😂😂

Bite the Bullet goes back to Henry VIII time, at least. Surgeons made amputee candidates bit on a bullet to keep them from biting their tongue off during surgery. Remember, there was no anesthesia. There are many "bitten" bullets found in the archaeological record up to the American Civil War (1861-1865). Keep up the videos, please! It is the only way I can get out in this world, today. Hopefully, soon, I'll get back to ol' Blighty.

@lukekingsland5851

Жыл бұрын

I heard this, too. Makes more sense in context, I think. As in, having to endure something unpleasant which will be better for you in the long run.

@flamencoprof

Жыл бұрын

Also, contrary to the woman in the illustration, who is biting a case, they bit on the actual bullet, which is the bit that goes through and out of the barrel, and was generally of lead, which is quite soft.

@Iazzaboyce

Жыл бұрын

@@flamencoprof Not sure if I would like to bite on a lead musket ball. The true origins of these sayings are lost in time, because there are not enough records and the sayings might have changed and could have joined from different origins. I like that, Joolz gives different 'ideas' to think about. In a world without TV, radio, phones, everyday conversation was probably much more important than today, so I think it's likely these sayings were originally very meaningful.

The brass monkey was a rack on a fighting ship with the ready balls for immediate use. Because iron and brass shrink in the cold differently the balls could become unstable and roll off the frame.

@n.b.4168

3 жыл бұрын

How would they ever stay in place at sea even with temperature difference? A ship (sail or otherwise) is not a stable enough platform to allow stacking of balls of any kind let alone cannon balls. Having spent 26 years in and around ships I can attest that even in calm seas it would be difficult to keep them from rolling around on the deck of a ship.

@davidmcclelland2661

3 жыл бұрын

@@n.b.4168 who ever said they were stacked, because a ship's deck is not stable, the brass monkey is fastened to a ship's deck and the ready balls are set in the frame so they would not roll around. Cannon balls are awkward to transport in a hurry and quantity for feeding a ship's guns.

@jimroberts3651

Жыл бұрын

I understand that the origin is with the Royal Artillery rather than the Royal Navy. Stacking canon balls is a little pointless if you're planning to use them. However a stack of balls is often a decoration outside a Royal Artillery station. There is a device that holds four balls together in a pyramid and it was originally called a monkey claw because of its shape. That got shortened to monkey. They could be made of steel or brass. Brass was preferred because you could give someone the job of polishing them as a military punishment. However, you couldn't use a brass monkey in very cold weather because brass contracts more than steel and if it's cold enough it wouldn't hold the balls together.

@wessexdruid7598

Жыл бұрын

@@n.b.4168 Have you ever picked up a cannonball? They weren't stacked, that's a land thing - only one high (imagine the triangle he used to demonstrate, but flat on the floor. Like a snooker/pool 'rack'.)

@planeurs

Жыл бұрын

Pull your finger.. We use the expression in French for the same reason, « Sors toi les doigts du cul ! »😂

Only yesterday I was wondering when will Joolz do another video and here we go... perfect Sunday morning watch

We need to turn back time and save our old London.

The puny head on Peter the Great freaks me out a bit. Missing London...thanks for the connection until a return is possible!✈

The ships cannon balls were stacked within a brass ring, when it got cold,the brass would shrink and the balls would roll off.

@stebur4277

3 жыл бұрын

I'm afraid you've been misinformed. This etymology is wrong for many reasons.

@Joolzguides

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, I'm just reporting what many people claim. It's a bit of fun but seems unlikely they would stack them on a ship like that. I suppose no one cam be sure.

@alanjones8810

3 жыл бұрын

If you did not store them on a gun deck, the cannons would be pritty useless, If you used them for ballast then in a battle the last thing you want to be doing is reducing your ballast, You would get that sinking feeling.

@ryanessex7978

3 жыл бұрын

@@stebur4277 you're misinformed. He's actually correct.

@stebur4277

3 жыл бұрын

@@ryanessex7978 Do some research, I am informed and correct - thank you.

Just watching over dinner! 😀 Thank you so much for keeping these videos coming during difficult times ❤️❤️❤️

i remember walking around the Temple Bar in Cheshunt when i was a kid, nice to see they restored in properly and put it back in London

Here's one: "Robbing Peter to pay Paul" apparently comes from the 16th century when the Bishop of London would divert a portion of revenue from Westminster Abbey (dedicated to St Peter) to go towards the treasury of St Paul's Cathedral.

@GreywitchGaming

3 жыл бұрын

If you rob Peter to pay Paul you just make Peter sore and you can't do anything with a sore Peter.

@ryanessex7978

3 жыл бұрын

He's spoken about this in a previous video.

@4KExplorer

3 жыл бұрын

@@ryanessex7978 Ah, fair play then!

@anodyne57

Жыл бұрын

He covers this in one of his earlier idiom vids.

Very close on the use of the paper cartridge. More accurately, you bite off a little of the tip on the end holding the powder, put a bit of powder into the flashpan, and then pour the rest down the barrel and shove the remaining paper cartridge and bullet down the barrel. The paper acted as the "wad" to push the bullet out and the coating on the cartridge not only helped make them a little waterproof and stay together, but also left a film inside the barrel that made cleaning/scraping out the barrel easier. I believe you had the meaning of your description correctly, but it made it sound like you poured powder from a separate container down the barrel, removed the bullet to be used by biting off the cartridge, got rid of the paper and put the bullet down the barrel. The unpleasantness of biting the lard covered cartridge is correct for the idiom, but I'm just being an unnecessary stickler for details I guess! lol! Another great and interesting Vlog again! 👍

Joolz, this was absolutely spiffing. I do love an idiom, though sometimes I think they are in danger of falling out of use. So such a great combination here, the language and location.

Absolutely love these videos, it's amazing how these expressions get passed through the ages, more of these please Joolz

Cold enough to freeze the balls of a brass monkey, a story I was told it was a war in a cold climate, cannon balls were stacked on a tray of steel. The lead member of the unit had a brass tray and on a cold night it contracted and the balls would fall off. Great video and good work. Thank you

"It might be true, it might be bollocks." Amen Joolz, amen.

It's so beautiful over there. Way better than cities in the US. So much history just sitting there 😃😃

@undieturd

3 жыл бұрын

Don't worry, history is being slowly deleted by people who don't like it

@steveafanador6441

3 жыл бұрын

@@undieturd yeah what's up with that crap?

@wessexdruid7598

Жыл бұрын

They've been there much, much longer. Plus, in the US, you have a tendency to tear down anything that is starting to get old.

@davidgrosvenor1

Жыл бұрын

Great video! Keep them coming!😀😀

@peterherrington3300

Жыл бұрын

I drove past stonehenge yesterday , it makes London look positively modern

The brass monkey is the brass metal band which stops the iron cannon balls from rolling around. In cold weather the brass contracts more than the iron, thus squeezing the cannon balls which would topple the top ball off the brass monkey.

Happy Holidays and thank you for sharing your love of London with everyone.💝

The monkey was a frame made of brass on which the steel cannon balls where placed and in cold weather the brass would contract causing the balls to tumble off, the stacking of cannon balls where mainly done on parade grounds for display and ceremonial use.

In the United States, a white elephant is meant as a silly useless gift that people exchange usually around Christmas for fun. Useless government (pork barrel) projects are called "bridges to nowhere". This is an actually a relatively recent idiom derived from Alaska, where a bridge was built from Ketchikan, Alaska to the Gravina Islands to replace a ferry. It was never actually built but used to bring money to a local area. Pork barrel is a whole other "American" idiom. No one would know what I meant if I said, "pole to post". But we use "bite the bullet" in the same way. Love your videos. Can't wait until we can get jabbed and visit London again.

Pubs MUST reopen!

@daveglynn748

3 жыл бұрын

And with no demand that we buy a “substantial meal” otherwise we are on our way to being a nation of fattys🙈

@The3Kosmos3

3 жыл бұрын

@@daveglynn748 Ahahahaha

You really managed to find very interesting subjects to talk about. As I am foreigner I am adoring learning these expressions I had never hearda before. And what a better way to teach us about them than walking in these beautiful London places? You even find thngs that helps the explanation all of them available for anybody walking in these streets. Man, I think you are a genius!

Entertaining as always. In German you get sent from Pontius to Pilate - and in Spanish and archaic French from Herod to Pilate. Now I‘m interested to know why English is different - or whether maybe that‘s the origin of pillar to post after all. It certainly sounds similar enough to Pilate and Pontius...

@kpjacobs

3 жыл бұрын

In Dutch it's from the cabinet to the wall ☺️

When I was younger we used to hold 'White Elephant' parties. The ice-breaker was everybody was tasked to bring a 'white elephant' - something that's essentially useless. And points were awarded for the most amusing (and useless) item. And we'd hold an auction with all the items - donating the proceeds to a chosen charity.

The reason a white elephant was such a burden was because the owner would not be allowed to use the elephant for any type of work or for giving rides and charging money for them. This was because it was considered to be a holy animal - therefore it had to be kept in the height of elephant luxury, not offset against the cost of any labour.

@PR-yw4jt

3 жыл бұрын

Glad I read the replies before I posted one. You got it he left out the most important reason the elephant was a burden.

I was told that a powder monkey was a name for the boy sailors on Nelson era British warships that were agile and ran as quickly as possible betwixt the gun decks and the munitions room beneath the waterline to bring the gunpowder to the sailors manning the guns.

@w.reidripley1968

Жыл бұрын

And don't forget the shot as well when the shot-garlands (rather like bandoliers, for cannonballs) ran out -- though a 32-pound shot is a heavy burden for a boy. Probably only occurred in a prolonged engagement, if ever, for that reason. (24pr or 9pr, anyone?)

I like following him around on google maps and try to trace where he is going and to see how much ground he covers from clip to clip

Outstanding video from Professor Joolz, so informative, loved it!

..... Your videos always brings a smile to my face!

I heard the brass monkey, was the brass stand the iron balls were stacked on rather than the powder monkey (or child holding the balls) Brass and iron contract at different rates , and when the brass contracted faster, the balls fell off it. Hence cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. I am sure someone who knows the science could confirm or disprove .

Thank you for publishing these videos! I cannot get back to London at this time, so it’s nice to see the landscape. Cheers! Drink a pint for me.

My uncle Billy was a cokney he always called the stairs Apple and pears bless him

Great to see you Joolz. Thanks for the video on a Sunday morning!

Thanks Joolz!

Cannonballs were stored in a pyramid formation, I dont even know where the ship reference came from, but while they were stored piled up in a pyramid formation, with cold enough wether a ball could fall because of the movement caused by contraction. The pyramid formation of stacked cannonballs was called a "brass monkey".

ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!! One day I would love to book a tour with you.......

Brilliant as usual Joolz x

Lord, I miss those London pubs! Thanks again Joolz. Always a tonic !

Wonderful! Well done Joolz! I really enjoyed your “tenuous links”...

So informative thank you. Nice Sunday

You may not know that Temple Bar spent many years in exile in a place called Bury Green, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire for many years before being relocated to its present site; I remember visiting it in my teens (60's). Thank you Joolz for all you do. When I come into my inheritance I'll see you ok. Take care dear friend. Gx

"A damn good thrashing" like Basil Fawlty to his Maxi?! ;)

@aeroplod

Жыл бұрын

Would that be his Austin 1100/1300 estate? 🤓

Hooray 😁 this made my day 🥳💕

Love it! Thank you!

Very interesting! Thanks for another great video Joolz! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

These are by far the most info packed videos on London I have ever seen. Very interesting.

wow,something open. always fun.

Always fun to watch your vids.... I've got a lot of Brit and Aussie characters in my books and these shorts are very helpful! Thanx a million!

That pub looks like such a nice place. Warm and inviting! Thanks Joolz!

A brass monkey was literally made of brass and was the base onto which the iron cannon balls were stacked in a pyramid form. Because brass contracts more than iron when it gets cold, the "monkey" would shrink so much that the cannon balls would fall off, not being properly supported any more.

Nice one, Joolz, as usual. Do keep them coming. The story I heard behind "bite on the bullet" goes back o the days before the discovery of anaesthesia, when injured limbs were routinely amputated on the battlefield after dosing the patient with a large shot of whisky. The bullet in question was inserted between the patient's teeth, to bite on if the pain got TOO intense. Ah, well, if the gangrene didn't get you, there was always lead poisoning, I suppose. Stay well.

As always, I learned a lot again from you Joolz. I will say it again, you would be a great professor at some University. Take care . Your friend, Steve Bonds from Bay City, Michigan USA

@whi5tler_1337

3 жыл бұрын

_TOTALLY AGREE_

Oh, that's very kind of you...

Interesting, informative, and brillianttly presented 👏 .

Yet another award winner 🥇fantastic, can’t wait to head to London again soon 👍🏻 x fee

Pip pip love your videos keep up the fantastic work love hearing about history of London 👍🏼👍🏼Stay safe

Enjoying idioms and stay safe

Was waiting for u. Another great video. Thanks.

I love the singing so much.. I love the English folk songs too

Great, thank you.

Thanks Joolz for making this video, it’s lovely and fascinating, watching this on my birthday, the prefect addition to my pressies and cards.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year!! Every time I watch your videos it makes my day a whole lot better!

Welcome back mate. Missed you!

I had heard that cannon balls would be stacked in a triangular brass frame. Brass shrinks more when it gets cold so the cannon ball would roll off.

Thank you.

You never fail to deliver Joolz. Always learn something new, often quite useful too. Keep up the good work sir.

Very enjoyable.

A great educational film. Cheers for making learning fun mate.

Joolz's is so cool. Always enjoy all your blogs.I love your information on the English language. Great fun always !!!!!

Thanks for the tenuous connection, I was going to ask about the nightingale in Berkeley Square.

Top notch video Joolz. Makes me want to hop on the train up to the big smoke each time I watch ... keep them coming chap

Hey Julian, great video! Carry on the great work! All the best!

Each time you put a video up I thoroughly enjoy it and you look like you have fun doing it.It's quite amazing how much history London has and it wouldn't surprise me if most of the Londoners don't know much about it.Well done.

Excellent as always, the humour is infectious, well done J@@LZ & Camera pointer!

Hooray! Another Joolz video. It's amazing how many expressions came from the Royal Navy. Happy Christmas to you and yours from a Londoner in Canada. That last scene makes me miss English pubs more than you could possibly know.

I do enjoy your videos and your wit 😃 thank you 😘

Always good entertainment! Well done.

Amazing!!!

Thank you very much for explaining those idioms,very enlightening and amusing......cheers.....

Brilliant video me old mucker! Keep going 🤩🤩

Brilliant thanks 😁👍👏👏👏

Congratulations on truly making the links tenous! :D

@Joolzguides Thank you! I always love your content and the idiomatic series are very fun. Thank you very much for all you have done. As an addition to the 'White Elephant' portion, I have always known the phrase to mean a gift that is a burden. Less so it being a venture that is a burden or folly, as it were. Essentially that the burden is "gifted" unto the recipient, rather than sought by the recipient. Hence the White Elephant swap/sale events, of getting rid of unwanted items.

Love the video, Joolz. Fascinating and entertaining facts, mate. Thanks. Need more tweets from you btw.

10:46 ".. I don't know..." Finally.

Very interesting jools thank you very good about London town

Gawd bless you, guv! Luv yer vidz.

I find that Joolz Guides are more interesting than many mainline programs on the television keep up the good work Joolz you are a star .

Jools happy Christmas and new year.keep it up like a little vacation.

Excellent as usual.

Splendid video Sir!, cheers old bean!

A brash monkey was the frame on which cannon balls were stored. When it froze the brass shrunk and the cannon balls fell off.

Since I'm laid up in bed with a neck injury what better way to spend my time between naps and pain meds!! Thanks Joolz and Happy Christmas.

Very jaunty look at our language...great video as usual

Amazing.

cheers! I shared to my FB page fo4 comic relief. You are providing an essential service to the world!

Nice video, I love English language idioms

I was always told the brass minkey thing comes from the triangular metal MOUNT KEY they used to stop cannonballs rolling about. Some say if it was brass it could contract in size / shape so much in the cold that the cannonballs would fall off.

This is so interesting.... And looks like you had a ball filming this one!