brass

• POS: Noun

CIDE DICTIONARY

brass, n. [OE. bras, bres, AS. bræs; akin to Icel. bras cement, solder, brasa to harden by fire, and to E. braze, brazen. Cf. 1st & 2d Braze.].

•  An alloy (usually yellow) of copper and zinc, in variable proportion, but often containing two parts of copper to one part of zinc. It sometimes contains tin, and rarely other metals.  [1913 Webster]
•  A journal bearing, so called because frequently made of brass. A brass is often lined with a softer metal, when the latter is generally called a white metal lining. See Axle box, Journal Box, and Bearing.  [1913 Webster]
•  Coin made of copper, brass, or bronze.  [1913 Webster]

  "Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey."  [1913 Webster]
•  Impudence; a brazen face.  [1913 Webster]
•  Utensils, ornaments, or other articles of brass.  [1913 Webster]

  "The very scullion who cleans the brasses."  [1913 Webster]
•  A brass plate engraved with a figure or device. Specifically, one used as a memorial to the dead, and generally having the portrait, coat of arms, etc.  [1913 Webster]
•  Lumps of pyrites or sulphuret of iron, the color of which is near to that of brass.  [1913 Webster]

  " The word brass as used in Sculpture language is a translation for copper or some kind of bronze."  [1913 Webster]

  " Brass is often used adjectively or in self-explaining compounds; as, brass button, brass kettle, brass founder, brass foundry or brassfoundry."  [1913 Webster]

Brass band (Mus.), a band of musicians who play upon wind instruments made of brass, as trumpets, cornets, etc. -- Brass foil, Brass leaf, brass made into very thin sheets; -- called also Dutch gold.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

brass, n. & adj.
--n.
1 a yellow alloy of copper and zinc.
2 a an ornament or other decorated piece of brass. b brass objects collectively.
3 Mus. brass wind instruments (including trumpet, horn, trombone) forming a band or a section of an orchestra.
4 Brit. sl. money.
5 (in full horse-brass) a round flat brass ornament for the harness of a draught-horse.
6 (in full top brass) colloq. persons in authority or of high (esp. military) rank.
7 an inscribed or engraved memorial tablet of brass.
8 colloq. effrontery (then had the brass to demand money).
9 a brass block or die used for making a design on a book binding.
--adj. made of brass.

Idiom

brass band a group of musicians playing brass instruments, sometimes also with percussion. brassed off sl. fed up. brass hat Brit. colloq. an officer of high rank, usu. one with gold braid on the cap. brass monkey coarse sl. used in various phrases to indicate extreme cold. brass-rubbing
1 the rubbing of heelball etc. over paper laid on an engraved brass to take an impression of its design.
2 the impression obtained by this. brass tacks sl. actual details; real business (get down to brass tacks). not a brass farthing colloq. no money or assets at all.

Etymology

OE br{aelig}s, of unkn. orig.

THESAURUS

brass

ADC, CO, Establishment, German band, OD, Philharmonic, VIP, aide, aide-de-camp, alpenhorn, alphorn, althorn, alto horn, arch, aristocracy, aureate, ballad horn, band, baritone, baron, barons, barrow, bass horn, big band, big gun, big man, big name, bigwig, blunt, board, board of directors, board of regents, board of trustees, boodle, boundary stone, brashness, brass band, brass choir, brass hat, brass quintet, brass section, brass wind, brass-wind instrument, brasses, brassy, brazen, brazen boldness, bread, brigadier, brigadier general, bronze, bronzy, bucks, bugle, bugle horn, bust, cabbage, cabinet, cadre, cairn, callithumpian band, captain, celebrity, cenotaph, chamber orchestra, cheek, chicken colonel, chief of staff, chips, chutzpah, clarion, colonel, column, combo, commandant, commander, commander in chief, commanding officer, commissioned officer, company officer, concert band, confidence, copper, coppery, cornet, cornet-a-pistons, corno di caccia, cornopean, council, cream, cromlech, cross, crust, cup, cupreous, cuprous, cyclolith, desks, dignitary, dignity, dinero, directorate, directory, dixieland band, do-re-mi, dolmen, double-bell euphonium, dough, effrontery, elder, elite, ensemble, establishment, euphonium, exec, executive arm, executive committee, executive hierarchy, executive officer, face, father, ferrous, ferruginous, field marshal, field officer, figure, first lieutenant, five-star general, footstone, four-star general, gall, gamelan orchestra, gelt, general, general officer, generalissimo, gilt, gold, gold-filled, gold-plated, golden, governing board, governing body, grave, gravestone, grease, great man, green, green stuff, group, headstone, helicon, heroics, hoarstone, horn, hubris, hunting horn, important person, improvidence, imprudence, impudence, indiscretion, infrastructure, injudiciousness, inscription, insolence, interests, interlocking directorate, iron, ironlike, jack, jazz band, jemadar, jug band, junior officer, kale, key trumpet, lead, leaden, lieutenant, lieutenant colonel, lieutenant general, lion, lituus, lords of creation, lur, magnate, major, major general, man of mark, management, marechal, marker, marshal, mausoleum, mazuma, megalith, mellophone, memento, memorial, memorial arch, memorial column, memorial statue, memorial stone, menhir, mercurial, mercurous, military band, mogul, monolith, monument, moolah, mopus, mound, nabob, name, necrology, nerve, nickel, nickelic, nickeline, nobility, notability, notable, obelisk, obituary, officer, oil of palms, ointment, one-star general, oof, ooftish, ophicleide, orchestra, orchestral horn, orderly officer, overboldness, overcarelessness, overconfidence, overlapping, oversureness, overweeningness, panjandrum, person of renown, personage, personality, pewter, pewtery, pillar, pillar of society, plaque, pocket trumpet, post horn, power, power elite, power structure, presumption, prize, pyramid, quartet, quicksilver, quintet, ragtime band, rashness, reliquary, remembrance, rhino, ribbon, risaldar, rock-and-roll group, rocks, rostral column, rudeness, ruling circle, ruling circles, ruling class, sachem, sackbut, saxhorn, saxtuba, senior officer, serpent, sextet, shaft, shavetail, shekels, shrine, silver, silver-plated, silvery, simoleons, sirdar, skiffle band, slide trombone, sliphorn, somebody, something, sousaphone, spondulics, staff officer, steel, steel band, steely, steering committee, stela, stone, street band, string band, string choir, string orchestra, string quartet, strings, stupa, subahdar, subaltern, sublieutenant, sugar, swing band, symphony, symphony orchestra, tablet, temerariousness, temerity, tenor tuba, testimonial, the Old Man, the administration, the best, the best people, the brass, the executive, the great, the needful, the people upstairs, the top, three-star general, tin, tinny, tomb, tombstone, top brass, top people, tope, trio, tromba, trombone, trophy, trumpet, tuba, two-star general, tycoon, unchariness, unwariness, upper class, upper crust, valve trombone, valve trumpet, very important person, waits, wampum, woodwind, woodwind choir, woodwind quartet, woodwinds, worthy

ROGET THESAURUS

brass

Mixture

N mixture, admixture, commixture, commixtion, commixion, intermixture, alloyage, matrimony, junction, combination, miscegenation, impregnation, infusion, diffusion suffusion, transfusion, infiltration, seasoning, sprinkling, interlarding, interpolation, adulteration, sophistication, tinge, tincture, touch, dash, smack, sprinkling, spice, seasoning, infusion, soupcon, alloy, amalgam, brass, chowchow, pewter, magma, half-and-half, melange, tertium quid, miscellany, ambigu, medley, mess, hotchpot, pasticcio, patchwork, odds and ends, all sorts, jumble, salad, sauce, mash, omnium gatherum, gallimaufry, olla-podrida, olio, salmagundi, potpourri, Noah's ark, caldron texture, mingled yarn, mosaic, half-blood, half-caste, mulatto, terceron, quarteron, quinteron, quadroon, octoroon, griffo, zambo, cafuzo, Eurasian, fustee, fustie, griffe, ladino, marabou, mestee, mestizo, quintroon, sacatra zebrule, catalo, cross, hybrid, mongrel, mixed, implex, composite, half-and-half, linsey-woolsey, chowchow, hybrid, mongrel, heterogeneous, motley, miscellaneous, promiscuous, indiscriminate, miscible, among, amongst, amid, amidst, with, in the midst of, in the crowd.

Insolence

N insolence, haughtiness, arrogance, airs, overbearance, domineering, tyranny, impertinence, sauciness, flippancy, dicacity, petulance, procacity, bluster, swagger, swaggering, bounce, terrorism, assumption, presumption, beggar on horseback, usurpation, impudence, assurance, audacity, hardihood, front, face, brass, shamelessness, effrontery, hardened front, face of brass, assumption of infallibility, saucebox, insolent, haughty, arrogant, imperious, magisterial, dictatorial, arbitrary, high-handed, high and mighty, contumelious, supercilious, overbearing, intolerant, domineering, overweening, high-flown, flippant, pert, fresh, cavalier, saucy, forward, impertinent, malapert, precocious, assuming, would-be, bumptious, bluff, brazen, shameless, aweless, unblushlng, unabashed, brazen, boldfaced-, barefaced-, brazen-faced, dead to shame, lost to shame, impudent, audacious, presumptuous, free and easy, devil-may-care, rollicking, jaunty, janty, roistering, blustering, hectoring, swaggering, vaporing, thrasonic, fire eating, full of sound and fury, with a high hand, ex cathedra, one's bark being worse than his bite, beggars mounted run their horse to death, quid times? Caesarem vehis, wagahai wa (expressing superiority).