Of Pantyhose and Phaeton

[Steadyguy]

  I did not expect to find the niner 'pantyhose' 3.10.09. For a man of my age, it is alas not a common word.

I am however disgusted not to have used 'phaeton' having seen it on the Rubens painting, but assumed it to be a proper noun using a capital letter.

Now I have seen the solution, I do remember is it the name of a certain model of horse-drawn carriage, thus not requiring the capital letter.

[ensiform]

The carriage actually comes from the mythological figure, Phaeton, who demanded to drive his father Apollo's sun horses and nearly destroyed the earth.  Like many young people, he was a poor driver.  Unlike many young people, he was killed by his grandfather before he could get into a wreck.

[technomc]

Perhaps Steadyguy it's because we [in the YUK] don't really call them pantyhose..

We usually say tights or stockings...and i am sure you have worn them at many a fancy dress do...most men seem too...or if you are fisherman [they wear them often apparently, for warmth!! Yeah yeah yeah!!! ]

[Steadyguy]

Nay nay and thrice nay. I would rather suffer the fate of metal monkeys in freezing weather than wear such feminine stuff.

[rogue_mother]

As a regular wearer of pantyhose, on a near daily basis, even, this was still one of the very last words I got before the end of the puzzle. Some days it just takes me a long time to see the niner. And silly me -- I did not see phaeton at all. I think that I just forgot what city folks rode around in after our covered wagon left St. Joe.

[a non-amos]

Just out of curiosity, does anyone else (maybe a fellow sailor or engineer) know this?

SG referred to the fate of a metal (brass) monkey.  From whence came this?

This is an interesting bit of trivia that relates to materials science . . .

[Steadyguy]

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/cold%20enough%20to%20freeze%20the%20balls%20off%20a%20brass%20monkey.html

The link above gives as good a theory as is possible I reckon. The scientific theory related to co-efficients of linear expansion is jettisoned, and the more-likely origin of the phrase is the tail-like brass device used to aim a cannon.
I do like the mention of the fictitious organisation 'CANOE'. (the Committe to Ascribe Naval Origins to Everything.)

[birdy]

Thanks, SG - that was very interesting.