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BRASS

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brass

  [bras, brahs]
Use BRASS in a Sentence
–noun
1. any of various metal alloys consisting mainly of copper and zinc.
2. a utensil, ornament, or other article made of such an alloy.
3. Music.
a. brass instrument.
b. brass instruments collectively in a band or orchestra.
4. metallic yellow; lemon, amber, or reddish yellow.
5. Informal.
a. high-ranking military officers.
b. any very important officials.
6. Informal. excessive self-assurance; impudence; effrontery.
7. Machinery. a replaceable semicylindrical shell, usually of bronze, used with another such to line a bearing; a half bushing.
8. British. a memorial tablet or plaque, often incised with an effigy, coat of arms, or the like.
9. Furniture. any piece of ornamental or functional hardware, as a drawer pull, made of brass.
10. British Slang. money.
–adjective
11. of, made of, or pertaining to brass.
12. composed for or using musical instruments made of brass.
13. having the color brass.
Origin:
bef. 1000; 1945–50 for def. 5; ME bras, OE bræs; c. OFris bres copper, MLG bras metal

Related forms:
brassish, adjective

Synonyms:
6. cheek, nerve, brashness, gall, chutzpa.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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brass   (brās)   
n.  

    1. A yellowish alloy of copper and zinc, sometimes including small amounts of other metals, but usually 67 percent copper and 33 percent zinc.

    2. Ornaments, objects, or utensils made of this alloy.

    3. The section of a band or an orchestra composed of brass instruments. Often used in the plural.

    4. Brass instruments or their players considered as a group. Often used in the plural.

  2. Music

    1. The section of a band or an orchestra composed of brass instruments. Often used in the plural.

    2. Brass instruments or their players considered as a group. Often used in the plural.

  3. A memorial plaque or tablet made of brass, especially one on which an effigy is incised.

  4. A bushing or similar lining for a bearing, made from a copper alloy.

  5. Informal Bold self-assurance; effrontery.

  6. Slang High-ranking military officers or other high officials.

  7. Chiefly British Money.


[Middle English bras, from Old English bræs.]
brass adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

brass

Musical instruments traditionally made of brass and played by blowing directly into a small, cup-shaped mouthpiece. They include the French horn, trumpet, trombone, and tuba.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
brass

  1. n.
    high-ranking military or civilian officers. (See also top brass.) : We'll see what the brass has to say first.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

brass 
O.E. bræs, originally an alloy of copper and tin (now bronze), in modern use an alloy of two parts copper, one part zinc. A mystery word, with no known cognates beyond Eng. Perhaps akin to Fr. brasser "to brew," since it is an alloy. It also has been compared to O.Sw. brasa "fire," but no sure connection can be made. The meaning "effrontery, impudence" is from 1624. Slang sense of "high officials" is first recorded 1899. Brassy "debased yet pretentious" is from 1586; in the sense of "strident and artificial" it is from 1865. The brass tacks that you get down to (1897) are probably the ones used to measure cloth on the counter of a dry goods store, suggesting precision.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Bible Dictionary

Brass

which is an alloy of copper and zinc, was not known till the thirteenth century. What is designated by this word in Scripture is properly copper (Deut. 8:9). It was used for fetters (Judg. 16:21; 2 Kings 25:7), for pieces of armour (1 Sam. 17:5, 6), for musical instruments (1 Chr. 15:19; 1 Cor. 13:1), and for money (Matt. 10:9). It is a symbol of insensibility and obstinacy in sin (Isa. 48:4; Jer. 6:28; Ezek. 22:18), and of strength (Ps. 107:16; Micah 4:13). The Macedonian empire is described as a kingdom of brass (Dan. 2:39). The "mountains of brass" Zechariah (6:1) speaks of have been supposed to represent the immutable decrees of God. The serpent of brass was made by Moses at the command of God (Num. 21:4-9), and elevated on a pole, so that it might be seen by all the people when wounded by the bite of the serpents that were sent to them as a punishment for their murmurings against God and against Moses. It was afterwards carried by the Jews into Canaan, and preserved by them till the time of Hezekiah, who caused it to be at length destroyed because it began to be viewed by the people with superstitious reverence (2 Kings 18:4). (See NEHUSHTAN.) The brazen serpent is alluded to by our Lord in John 3:14, 15. (See SERPENT.)

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Idioms & Phrases

brass

In addition to the idioms beginning with brass, also see bold as brass; double in brass; get down to brass tacks.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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