Satire Saturday: "Colder Than a Witch's Brass Tit!"
It’s Satire Saturday again! This is the day when we talk about odd things related to witches and witchcraft. Since we’re still in the middle of winter, I thought it might be fun to explore the origin of one of my father’s favorite phrases during the cold months. Have you ever heard the expression, “Colder than a witch’s brass tit!” when the weather is particularly cold? Have you ever wondered where that came from? Well, it has nothing to do with old women wearing metal bras, even though the words conjure those images in a modern mind. Instead, it has to do with climate change, witch hunts, and money. Let’s start with climate change. During a period spanning from the 14 th century to the mid-19 th century, our planet’s climate cooled substantially. Scientists think this cooling was caused either by volcanic activity, a drop in the frequency of solar storms, or a combination of both. This period is often referred to as “the little ice age” and it was a dark period for our species