
brass
词源
源自古英语 bræs(铜合金),可能源自原始日耳曼语,与荷兰语 brās(黄铜)同源。14世纪后特指铜锌合金。
noun
❶ 一种黄铜合金,由铜和锌混合制成,常用于制造乐器、装饰品和五金件。
“The doorknob is made of polished brass.”
(门把手是用抛光黄铜制成的。)
“She plays the trumpet in the brass section.”
(她在铜管乐器组演奏小号。)
❶ 指铜管乐器或演奏这些乐器的音乐家群体,如小号、长号等。
“The brass sounded triumphant in the finale.”
(铜管乐器在终曲中奏出胜利的旋律。)
“He's first chair in the school's brass ensemble.”
(他是学校铜管乐团的首席。)
adjective
❶ 形容与黄铜相关的事物,或比喻像黄铜般坚硬、闪亮的特质。
“She wore a brass necklace that gleamed in the sun.”
(她戴着一条在阳光下闪闪发光的黄铜项链。)
“The brass fittings resisted corrosion for decades.”
(这些黄铜配件数十年未受腐蚀。)
常见短语
brass tacks — 指讨论或处理事情的基本事实或实质内容,常用于口语表达"get down to brass tacks"。
“Let's get down to brass tacks: how much will this project cost?”
(我们直入主题吧:这个项目要花多少钱?)
brass ring — 比喻成功的机会或终极目标,源自旋转木马游戏中伸手抓取黄铜环的旧时娱乐活动。
“She finally grabbed the brass ring with her promotion to CEO.”
(她终于抓住了成功的机会,晋升为CEO。)