ðə tˈɜːm mˌeɪhɐv ɚɹˈɪzən ˌaʊɾəv ɐ mɪstɹænslˈeɪʃən ʌv dʒˈɜːmən sˈoːɹsᵻz, wˌɛɹ ðə tˈɜːm "ˈaɪsmɛnɚ" dʒˈɜːmən fɔːɹ "ˈaɪs mˈɛn"wʌz ɹˈɛd æz "ˈaɪzənmˌɛnɚ" dʒˈɜːmən fɔːɹ "ˈaɪɚn mˈɛn"ænd ðɛɹ nˈaɪts ðˈɛn tˈɜːmd "ˈaɪɚn nˈaɪts," wˌɪtʃ ðˈɛn bɪkˌeɪm ʃˈɪftᵻd fɹʌm mˈeɪ tə dʒˈuːn.
The term may have arisen out of a mistranslation of German sources, where the term "Eismänner" (German for "ice men") was read as "Eisenmänner" (German for "iron men") and their nights then termed "iron nights," which then became shifted from May to June.