subs. (common).—1. Impudence; effrontery; unblushing hardness; shamelessness, etc.: also BOLD AS BRASS: see CHEEK.
1594. SHAKESPEARE, Love’s Labour’s Lost, v. 2. 395. Biron. Thus pour the stars down plagues for perjury. Can any face of BRASS hold longer out?
1701. DEFOE, The True-Born Englishman, II.
| By my Old Friend [The Devil], who printed in my face | |
| A needful competence of English BRASS. |
1703. FARQUHAR, The Inconstant, i., 2. Thou hast impudence to set a good face upon any thing, I would change half my gold for half thy BRASS, with all my heart.
1740. R. NORTH, Examen, 256. She in her defence made him appear such a rogue upon record, that the Chief Justice wondered he had the BRASS to appear in a court of justice.
1772. BRIDGES, A Burlesque Translation of Homer, 164.
| You’ll then convince each Grecian ass, | |
| That tho’ his face is made of BRASS … |
1773. GOLDSMITH, She Stoops to Conquer, iii., 1. To me he appears the most impudent piece of BRASS that ever spoke with a tongue.
1809. MALKIN, Gil Blas [ROUTLEDGE], 171. There was BRASS in his forehead for an inexhaustible coinage.
1819. T. MOORE, Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress, 68.
| Oh, what a face of BRASS was his, | |
| Who first at Congress show’d his phyz. |
1852. DICKENS, Bleak House, lv., 462. ‘I haven’t BRASS enough in my composition, to see him in this place and under this charge.’
1876. C. H. WALL, trans. Molière, I., 18. Gorgibus is a simpleton, a boor, who will readily believe everything you say, provided … you have BRASS enough.
1876. C. HINDLEY, ed. The Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack, 199. He started with a lot of ‘tin,’ but had not sufficient ‘BRASS’ or physique to stand the wear-and-tear of the life.
2. (old).—Generic for money: see RHINO: formerly the baser mintage was of brass instead of copper.
1526. TYNDALE, Matt. x., 9. Posses not golde, nor silver, nor BRASSE yn youre gerdels.
1597. JOSEPH HALL, Satires, IV., v., 12.
| Hirelings enow beside can be so base, | |
| Tho’ we should scorn each bribing varlet’s BRASS. |
1796. F. REYNOLDS, Fortune’s Fool, iii. He expects to finger the BRASS, does he?
1860. GASKELL, Sylvia’s Lovers, xx. ‘There’ll be Fosters i’ th’ background, as one may say, to take t’ biggest share on t’ profits,’ said Bell. ‘Ay, ay, that’s but as it should be, for I reckon they’ll ha’ to find t’ BRASS the first, my lass!’
1864. M. E. BRADDON, Aurora Floyd, xii. ‘Steeve’s a little too fond of the BRASS to murder any of you for nothing.’
1884. HAWLEY SMART, From Post to Finish, 129. ‘It’s noa use they’re telling us afterwards they ain’t collared the BRASS.’
1889. The Sporting Times, 29 June. Billy Wells. What the dickens is all this about the hats? We have seventy-two telegrams and letters on the subject, and would prefer the BRASS.
1898. BINSTEAD, A Pink ’Un and a Pelican, 25. Always woefully short of BRASS, and instead of being able to stick to their work with the clear mind that a tenner in the inside pocket assures, had to go hedging and ditching … to square the hotel bill.
BRASS-BOUND AND COPPER FASTENED, adj. phr. (nautical).—Said of a lad dressed in a midshipman’s uniform. See BRASS-BOUNDER.
