Gen Z doesn't understand the expressions "brass monkeys" and "blowing a hoolie."

It's a chilly day out there, isn't it? The kids might need a dictionary to understand some of the old weather phrases we used to say. Remember when we would say "brass monkeys" to describe cold weather? Or that "Jack Frost" might come to visit? Ah, those were the days. But if you know what we mean by all of this, then you're probably not a young whippersnapper anymore.

It turns out, the young folks of Gen Z barely use these phrases anymore. In fact, a recent poll found that only 5% of adults aged 18 to 25 have ever used the term "brass monkeys" to describe the cold. And only 1 in 10 have ever mentioned "Jack Frost" coming around when it gets icy. You probably won't hear anyone under 30 talking about "Here comes Old Phoebe" either. But don't worry, we'll explain the origins of these phrases in a bit.

With the recent arrival of an Arctic chill in the UK, bringing frost and snow, it might be the perfect time to bring back some of these cool (pun intended) weather phrases. The poll also showed that there are regional differences in weather talk, with "it's blowing a gale" being most commonly used in Scotland and "it's lashing it down" in the north-east of England. And if you hear someone say "it's raining cats and dogs," chances are they're from the south.

But back to the origins of these phrases. "Brass monkeys" comes from a traditional Navy saying, "cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey," with the "monkey" being the structure where cannon balls were stored. And as for "Here comes Old Phoebe," well, we're not really sure where that one came from. But it seems to be dying out, along with other phrases like "that's a gust" and "it's slinging it down." However, the poll did show that we are still a nation of weather chatterers, with 39% of us happy to talk about the weather with strangers and even discussing it during our commute.

In other weather-related news, Network Rail is giving people the chance to name one of their special "leaf-busting" trains, which clear leaves from railway tracks during autumn and winter. If you have a great name in mind, you can send your suggestion to [email protected] or use #NameTheLeafbuster on social media. But don't get too excited, because railway historian and TV presenter Tim Dunn has already suggested "Trainy McTrainFace" and is challenging us to come up with something better. So let's put our thinking caps on and come up with a clever name for this train. Who knows, maybe we'll make history. The deadline for submissions is Friday, September 20th. So get those creative juices flowing and help us name the leaf-busting train!

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