| 释义 |
top brass, the the top brassThe person or people with the most authority, power, or influence in a group or organization. When I was the top brass of the business, I used to charge the most outrageous things to the company credit card. You'll only get a truthful answer if you manage to talk to the top brass.See also: brass, toptop brassthe highest leader(s); the boss(es). (Originally military.) The top brass turned thumbs down on the proposal. You'll have to check it out with the top brass. She'll be home around five.See also: brass, topbrass hatA high-ranking official, as in All the brass bats were invited to the sales conference. The terms big brass, top brass, and the brass all refer to high officials considered as a group. For example, John's one of the top brass in town-he's superintendent of schools. The origin of this term is disputed. Most authorities believe it originated in the late 19th-century British army, when senior officers had gold leaves on their cap brims. Another theory is that it referred to the cocked hat worn by Napoleon and his officers, which they folded and carried under the arm when indoors. In French these were called chapeaux à bras ("hats in arms"), a term the British are supposed to have anglicized as brass. By World War I brass hat referred to a high-ranking officer in Britain and America, and in World War II it was joined by the other brass phrases. After the war these terms began to be used for the top executives in business and other organizations. See also: brass, hattop brasssee under brass hat. See also: brass, top(the) ˌtop ˈbrass (British English, informal) people with power and authority: The top brass got a huge pay rise. OPPOSITE: (the) rank and fileOfficers in the military wear brass (= a bright yellow metal) or gold badges to show their position.See also: brass, topbrass hat n. a member of the brass. A brass hat came up to me and asked me where I was going. See also: brass, hattop brass n. the highest leader(s); the boss(es). (Originally military.) You’ll have to check it out with the top brass. She’ll be home around five. See also: brass, toptop brass, theThe highest-ranking officials or executives in an organization. The expression is generally thought to come from the late-nineteenth-century British army, when senior officers had gold oak leaves decorating the brim of their caps. John Ciardi, however, proposed another etymology, from the cocked hat worn by French officers in Napoleon’s time, which was folded and carried under the arm (in French, chapeaux à bras) while indoors; Ciardi believed the British changed bras to brass, and referred to officers as brass hats. By World War II both that term and top brass were in common use and afterward were transferred to peacetime officialdom as well. Thus, “The top police brass spreads out a hot carpet for the local cops” (Philadelphia Bulletin, 1949).See also: top |