brass band
156
brass instruments
valve
bell
mouthpiece
trumpet
tuba
French horn
slide
trombone
are made of brass and are played by blowing: The brass
is/are too loud. → compare WOODWIND 3 [C] (especially in
Britain) a flat piece of brass with an ENGRAVING on it, fixed to
the floor or wall of a church in memory of a dead person: to
go brass rubbing (=to make copies of brasses with paper and
CRAYONS) 4 [U] infml unashamed self-confidence; NERVE: How
did she have the brass to do that? 5 [U] slang, especially NEngE
money 6 [the+sing./pl.v] AmE infml for TOP BRASS 7 get down to
brass tacks infml to come to the really important facts or
business
,brass 'band n a band consisting mostly of brass musical
instruments
When British people think of brass bands,
they often think of the industrial towns of the North of
England, where brass bands are very popular. In the US,
brass bands are popular with older people, and are often
part of street processions.
brassed off /ˌbrɑːst ˈɒf||ˌbræst ˈɔːf/ adj [F(with)] BrE slang tired
and annoyed; FED UP
bras·se·rie /ˈbræsəri||ˌbræsəˈriː/ n Fr, BrE a restaurant, espe-
cially one that is informal and fairly cheap, and serves
French food
,brass 'hat n slang a military officer of high rank
brassica /ˈbræsɪkə/ n a vegetable with large green leaves,
such as a CABBAGE
bras·si·ere /ˈbræziər||brəˈzɪər/ n fml a BRA
,brass 'knuckles n [P] AmE for KNUCKLE-DUSTER
,brass-'monkey adj infml (of weather) very cold (from the
taboo slang expression 'cold enough to freeze the balls off a
brass monkey')
brass·y /ˈbrɑːsi||ˈbræsi/ adj 1 like brass in colour 2 like brass
musical instruments in sound 3 (usually derog especially of a
woman) loud and self-confident in manner
brat /bræt/ n derog a child, especially a bad-mannered one
brat·pack /ˈbrætpæk/ n [the] a group of successful and
fashionable young actors, writers, performers etc: a member
of the Hollywood bratpack | the literary bratpack
brat-wurst /ˈbrætwɜːst||-wɜːrst/ n [U] Ger a SAUSAGE made
with PORK for cooking in hot oil
Braun, E·va /braʊn, ˈevə/ (1910-45) a German Nazi who
married Adolf Hitler in 1945 and then killed herself at the
same time as he did
bra·va·do /brəˈvɑːdəʊ/ n [U] the act of intentionally show-
ing your courage or confidence, especially in a way that is
unnecessarily dangerous: It was an act of sheer bravado.
brave¹ /breɪv/ adj 1 courageous, fearless, and ready to suffer
danger or pain: brave soldiers | a brave attempt to recapture
the city from the enemy | Be brave – we'll soon have your tooth
out. | It was very brave of you to stand up and speak in front of
all those people. | [also n, the+P] Today we remember the brave
who died in the last war. 2 [A] old use fine; EXCELLENT: a brave
new world —>ly adv —>ry /ˈbreɪvəri/ n [U] bravery in the face
of terrible danger → see also BRAVE NEW WORLD
brave² v [T] to face or risk facing (danger, pain, or trouble)
without showing fear: He braved his parents' displeasure by
marrying her. | We decided to brave the storm and try to walk
home.
brave³ n a young Native American WARRIOR (=fighting man)
,Brave New 'World a novel written in 1932 by the British
writer Aldous Huxley, which imagines an advanced society of
the future in which many people seem to have easy and
pleasant lives, but in fact no-one has any freedom. This
phrase, which was first used in Shakespeare's play The Tem-
pest, is now used to describe any society like this.
bra·vo /ˈbrɑːvəʊ, brɑːˈvəʊ/ interj, n pl. -vos (a shout of joy
because someone, especially a performer, has done well)
bra·vu·ra /brəˈvjʊərə/ n [U] 1 a show of great skill in
performing 2 a show of great courage or daring
brawl /brɔːl/ n a noisy quarrel or fight, especially one in
which several people take part, and often in a public place
—brawl v [I] —>er n
brawn /brɔːn/ n [U] 1 human muscle; MUSCULAR strength:
He's got more brawn than brains. (=he's strong, but not very
clever) 2 BrE || headcheese AmE — (pieces of) meat from the
head of a pig, boiled and pressed in a pot with jelly
brawn·y /ˈbrɔːni/ adj strong; MUSCULAR: brawny arms
—iness n [U]
bray /breɪ/ v [I] to make the sound that a DONKEY makes: (fig.)
He brayed with laughter. —bray n
bra·zen¹ /ˈbreɪzən/ adj 1 without shame; IMMODEST: a bra-
zen lie | brazen cheek | a brazen hussy 2 [A] lit of or like
brass, especially in producing a hard loud sound as brass
does when struck —>ly adv
brazen² v brazen it out to face trouble or blame with
unashamed confidence, as if you have done nothing wrong
bra·zi·er /ˈbreɪziər||-zər/ n a container for burning coals
Bra·zil /brəˈzɪl/ a country in South America, the largest
country in South America. Population: 169,799,170 (2000).
Capital: Brasília. The Brazilian RAINFOREST is a large and very
important area of trees and plants.
Brazil, An·ge·la /ˈændʒələ/ (1868-1947) a British writer of
stories about life at girls' BOARDING SCHOOLS (=schools
where the students live as well as study). The typical girl in
her stories was always cheerful, good at sports, and eager to
take part in every activity: Joan was amazingly enthusiastic –
like something out of an Angela Brazil story.
Bra·zil·i·an¹ /brəˈzɪliən/ n 1 someone from Brazil 2 also
Brazilian wax the process of removing most or all of a
woman's PUBIC hair by using WAX
Brazilian² adj relating to Brazil or its people
Bra·zil nut n 1 a South American tree whose seeds are eaten
as nuts 2 the nut of this tree → see picture at NUT
breach¹ /briːtʃ/ n 1 [C,U(of)] an act of breaking, disobeying
or not fulfilling a law, promise, or duty: This new decision
represents a breach of our original agreement. | She was sued
for breach of contract. | These working practices are in
breach of section 22 of the safety regulations. | He was
arrested for a breach of the peace. (=fighting in public) | His
breach of confidence (=telling of secrets) was condemned by
his colleagues. 2 [C] an opening, especially one made in a
wall by attackers: a breach in the castle walls | (fig.) When I was
ill she stepped into/threw herself into the breach and did my
work as well as her own. | (fig.) The incident caused an
irreparable breach between the two countries. (=broke the
friendship) 3 once more unto the breach, dear friends
once more quote a phrase from the play Henry V by Shake-
speare, used by the king when encouraging his soldiers to
fight again
breach² v [T] 1 to break an opening in 2 to break (a
promise, agreement etc): to breach one's contract
bread /bred/ n [U] 1 a common food made of baked flour:
loaf of bread | bread and butter/jam/cheese (=bread spread
with butter/ JAM/cheese) | white/brown/wholemeal
bread 2 food considered as a means of staying alive: to earn
one's (daily) bread as a labourer 3 old·fash slang
money 4 bread and butter infml one's way of earning money
to live on; LIVELIHOOD: I don't write just for fun – it's my bread
and butter. → see also BREAD-AND-BUTTER 5 take the bread
out of someone's mouth infml to make it impossible for
someone to earn money, especially by taking their work