brass

Pronunciation: /brɑːs/

Definition of brass

1 [mass noun] a yellow alloy of copper and zinc: [as modifier]:a brass plate on the door
[count noun] a decorative object made of brass:shining brasses stood on the mantelpiece
(also horse brass) [count noun] British a round flat brass ornament for the harness of a draught horse.
[count noun] a memorial, typically a medieval one, consisting of a flat piece of inscribed brass, laid in the floor or set into the wall of a church: children do not appear on memorial brasses until the 1420s
[count noun] a brass block or die used for stamping a design on a book binding.

2 Music brass wind instruments (including trumpet, horn, and trombone) forming a band or a section of an orchestra:the brass were consistently too loud

3 (also top brass) informal people in authority or of high military rank: the top brass of the Jockey Club

Phrases

brassed off: British informal exasperated: I’m absolutely brassed off with all this talk about economic recovery
a brass farthing: [with negative] informal any money or assets at all:she hasn’t got two brass farthings to rub together
brass monkey: British informal used in phrases to refer to extremely cold weather:it’s brass monkey weather tonight it was cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey
[often said to be from a type of brass rack or ‘monkey’ once used to stack cannonballs on ships, and from which the balls might be ejected as a result of the metal contracting in very cold weather; this explanation has not been proved]
brass neck: informal cheek or effrontery:I didn’t think that his mother would have the brass neck to come round here
the brass ring: North American informal success or reward: Willa went for the brass ring, joining the firm’s San Francisco office at a whopping salary
[with reference to the reward of a free ride given on a merry-go-round to the person hooking a brass ring suspended over the horses]
get down to brass tacks: informal start to consider the basic facts or practical details: we’ve had a meeting as to the general terms, and now we’re going to get down to brass tacks

Old English bræs, of unknown origin

Definition of brass in the US English dictionary