Meaning & use
brassneck
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Meanings
nouncountableinformalBritish
A cheeky, shameless person who is not embarrassed by bold or rude behavior.
Grammar: Countable; you can say 'a brassneck' or 'two brassnecks'.
Patterns
- a real brassneck
- call someone a brassneck
He asked for a refund after using the tent for a month — what a brassneck!
She's a brassneck; she'll ask anyone for anything.
noununcountableinformalBritish
Shameless boldness or impudence in a difficult situation.
Grammar: Uncountable; used in phrases like 'have the brassneck to do something'.
Patterns
- have the brassneck to do something
- the brassneck of someone
I can't believe he had the brassneck to complain after arriving late.
The brassneck of that company is astonishing.
verbintransitiveinformalBritish
To act boldly and shamelessly, often in a way that annoys others.
Grammar: Intransitive; no object needed. Often used in the -ing form.
Patterns
- brassnecking through something
He brassnecked his way into the VIP area.
Stop brassnecking and apologize.
Word forms
| plural | brassnecks |
|---|---|
| third person singular | brassnecks |
| past tense | brassnecked |
| past participle | brassnecked |
| -ing form | brassnecking |
Common combinations
- have the brassneck to
- She had the brassneck to ask for a raise after being late all week.
- a complete brassneck
- Only a complete brassneck would try that trick twice.
- brassneck it out
- He decided to brassneck it out and pretend nothing had happened.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cheek
- Cheek is the quality of being rude in a playful way; brassneck is stronger and suggests shameless boldness.
- nerve
- Nerve means courage or boldness; brassneck adds a sense of shamelessness or impudence.
- impudence
- Impudence is more formal and focuses on disrespect; brassneck is informal and often admiring or amused.
Opposites
Word family
- brass-necked adjective
- Shamelessly bold; e.g., 'a brass-necked liar'.
Commonly confused: brassneck or brass? brassneck or breakneck?
brassneck vs brass
Brass is a metal; brassneck is a person or quality of shameless boldness.
brassneck vs breakneck
Breakneck means dangerously fast; brassneck means shamelessly bold.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'brassneck' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Brassneck means shameless boldness; 'had the brassneck to' is a common pattern. The other options confuse it with a body part, a car part, or a verb meaning 'postpone'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “brassneck”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.