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I haven't heard that one. I wonder if it's related to "brass" in the sense of "effrontery".
Effrontery is the ability to do or say something that normal shame or humility ought to prevent. For instance, if I claim to be the world's fastest runner, or the world's best lover, or (in my case) even a half-competent artist, it would be effrontery on my part—unless, of course, I could prove it, in which case the claim is simply true. And if I drive drunk and accidentally kill a pedestrian, and then show up at the victim's funeral, his aggrieved family may be offended and say it is effrontery for me to show my face at the funeral (although in that case I may protest that I was there not out of pride but out of a decent desire to show my sorrow).
Effrontery is also called "nerve", "chutzpah" and "brass", but "brass" is an older term; you don't hear it used in that sense much any more. I'm just wondering whether "get off your brass!" means "don't be so bold" or "show a little humility".
dilettante said:
Not familiar with the expression, but the uses that turn up in a Google search suggest it's a play on words and euphemism for "get off your ass" (get moving).
I had the same hunch, but the situation in which I heard it(=a cartoon version of 'Hulk', when Betty is talking to his father) does not warrant its use.
His father, or her father? If I recall, Betty's father was a high-ranking military man. "Brass" is slang for high-ranking military men. In that context, I could see someone saying "Get off your brass" to mean lose the high-ranking military attitude. But it is certainly not a standard expression in my experience.
Could that fit the context?
Martha Barnette
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