brass neck

brass neck

1. noun Self-assured shamelessness, audacity, confidence, gall, or impudence. Primarily heard in UK. It takes a brass neck to make such an outlandish demand of me. The junior minister has shown a brass neck to the public regarding his plans to cut social welfare.
2. noun A person displaying or characterized by self-assured shamelessness, audacity, confidence, gall, or impudence. Primarily heard in UK. It's beyond me how a brass neck like him could be appointed as a manager.
3. verb To act with courageous self-confidence, especially in an audacious, impudent, or shameless manner. Primarily heard in UK. We didn't have enough money for the train ride, but we thought we'd just brass neck it if anyone gave us grief.
See also: brass, neck
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

brass neck

cheek or effrontery. informal
See also: brass, neck
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

ˌbrass ˈneck/ˈnerve

(British English, informal) a combination of confidence and lack of respect: I didn’t think she would have the brass neck to do that.
See also: brass, neck, nerve
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • brass neck/nerve
  • some neck
  • walk heavy
  • swag
  • have a way with words
  • have the gift of (the) gab
  • have the gift of gab
  • waltz up
  • waltz up (to someone or something)
  • have a gift for gab
References in periodicals archive
Brass Neck regular Carl Walker, 38, of Saltburn, was first in the queue .
Chatty man Alan is talk of the town
YOU'VE got to admire the brass neck of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Len Capeling: Blue day for Roon
THE phenomenon of players engineering a move to another club is as common as cards and corner flags in today's game but Lecce starlet Valeri Bojinov gets 100 per cent for brass neck Reports in Italy suggest CSKA Moscow are preparing an pounds 8.3million bid for the 18-year-old but it seems his ideas are way above that station.
Football: Boj wants in on Roman empire
SHAMED reality TV star Jeremy McConnell showed off his white gnashers and his brass neck with a return to social media.
Ugly tooth of thug Jezza's promo pics
IT TAKES some brass neck for millionaire Tory Chancellor Philip Hammond to say that there is a "premium" to public sector salaries.
Hammond needs a reality shock; RECORD VIEW
The shows are being put on by Brass Neck Comedy Club, which hosts monthly performances by standup comedians.
Luckiest ticket in town - to see Chatty Alan
He has bankrupted the UK with his incompetence and bad management of the economy and had the brass neck to blame the USA for our problems.
Gordon's a disaster; YourSay
Lord Mandelson said the Phoenix Four had "brass neck nerve" to describe the report as a witch-hunt and urged them now to "do the decent thing" and formally disqualify themselves from holding any future directorships.
Phoenix-four label report 'witch-hunt' Former MG Rover bosses under fire
Then there's our very own Prime Minister who has the brass neck to claim pounds 43,000 of public money for a constituency home he bought for just pounds 30,000.
Carole Malone: M-oney P-iggies
It looks like the cheeky star, who recently admitted he was hungry for love after splitting with Rod Stewart's ex Rachel Hunter, has got a real brass neck. But we all knew that already.
Take a Dec at Rob's love bite; Sometimes being a celebrity is a real pain in the neck
The fact that Danny Cadamarteri should have the brass neck to request Legal Aid is one thing, however, let's not forget that his solicitor made the application on his behalf.
Who will aid the poor?
THE Tories have treated working families with contempt and championed wagedestroying austerity, so Theresa May has a brass neck to blame global economic forces for leaving people behind.
May's cheek; VOICE OF THE
Paul McCaffrey Stockton's Catch 22 is first out of the blocks at ARC on Friday, January 31 with Middlesbrough's Big Mouth and Saltburn's Brass Neck making it a Saturday night special on Saturday, February 1.
Back to regular laughs; COMEDY
JIM Cousins MP has a brass neck criticising the speed of regeneration in Newcastle (Voice of the North, March 17).
Letter: VOICE OF THE NORTH - MP appears to have a poor memory
SCREEN heart-throb Ewan McGregor proves he has a real brass neck - by appearing on the cover of music lovers' mag, The Horn.
McGREGOR REFUSES TO RELEASE ALBUM, BUT APPEARS IN MUSIC MAG