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The phrase “bold as brass” refers to a shameless person who acts with confidence and arrogance. The word “brass” has been used to describe shamelessness since the 1500s and the phrase “bold as brass” was first recorded in print in 1789. It may have been inspired by Brass Crosby, Chief Magistrate of London, who defied Parliament and freed two printers. The phrase is not a compliment and implies that the person is cheap and a poor imitation of gold.
The phrase “bold as brass” is typically used to refer to a person who takes action without shame or fear of consequences. Such a person would not feel embarrassed in situations where others would be mortified, continuing with an assurance that borders on arrogance or impudence. This alliterative phrase dates back at least to 18th-century London, where it was first recorded in print, but “bold as brass” may go back even further as an oral idiom.
Often, the word “brass” has been used to refer to more than metal, often used to describe shamelessness, among other definitions. Like metal, brass as a feature is bright and flashy, probably for attention, but there are other, less flattering parallels as well. Brass in a person might be perceived as cheap – a poor imitation of the virtue of gold. Calling a person “bold as brass” is not a compliment.
The use of “brass” in this context dates back to at least the 1500s, with the earliest known example in print attributed to William Shakespeare. By the 1700s, “brass” as shamelessness was in common usage. The phrase “bold as brass,” however, is not known to have been used in print until 1789, in Life’s Painter of Variegated Characters in Public and Private Life, with George Parker’s Political Strokes on the Ticklish Times.
However, many people believe that the phrase originated 19 years earlier, in 1770, inspired by Brass Crosby, Chief Magistrate of London. The London Evening Post published a report detailing the debates held in Parliament, the reporting of which was not permitted at the time. As a result, two printers were arrested and brought to appear before the magistrate. He crossfid Parliament and freed the men, and when a messenger was sent with the order to Crosdi to arrest another printer, Crosar arrested the messenger instead.
Cros himself was eventually jailed, although he received an outpouring of popular support for his actions. No news story or written account of the day is known to refer to him as “bold as brass,” but many experts believe this incident is responsible for the birth of the phrase. It seems probable that when Parker wrote the book he was aware of Brass Crosby’s reputation, but it is possible that his inspiration was no deeper than a little alliteration and some clever wordplay. Whatever the source, the scandalous and shameless have since been declared “bold as bronze.”
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