brass ring

the brass ring

An achievement or reward, or the opportunity to earn it. All these up-and-comers have their eyes on the brass ring, and that's what makes the company competitive.
See also: brass, ring
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

brass ring

A chance to achieve wealth or success; a prize or reward. For example, "As a businessman he let the brass ring go by too many times. And it got him." This quotation from the Boston Globe (July 31, 1995) refers to an executive who was forced to resign. The term comes from the practice of giving a free ride to the person who succeeded in picking a ring out of a box while riding a merry-go-round. [Slang; late 1800s]
See also: brass, ring
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

the brass ring

AMERICAN
The brass ring is great success or profit. Women who grab the brass ring and get the top jobs are still few and far between. We didn't want to be on a team that went for the brass ring by spending three times as much as everyone else. Note: On some fairground rides, a brass ring was placed just out of the reach of the riders. If a rider managed to grab it, they won a free ride.
See also: brass, ring
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

the brass ring

success, especially as a reward for ambition or hard work. North American informal
This phrase refers to the reward of a free ride on a merry-go-round given to the person who succeeds in hooking a brass ring suspended over the horses.
See also: brass, ring
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

the brass ˈring

(American English, informal) the opportunity to be successful; success that you have worked hard to get: The girls’ outdoor track team has grabbed the brass ring seven times.This comes from the custom of giving a free ride to anyone who managed to grab a large ring that was hung above the people riding on a merry-go-round at a fairground.
See also: brass, ring
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • the brass ring
  • desert and reward seldom keep company
  • reward
  • go to (one's) reward
  • go to reward
  • go to your reward
  • comer
  • all comers
  • brass balls
  • down to brass tacks
References in periodicals archive
NAOMI MATTHEW: 2.05 Bold Sniper, 2.40 Pearl Secret (nb), 3.10 Brass Ring, 3.50 Toormore (nap), 4.25 Stars Above Me, 5.00 Postponed, 5.35 Yenhaab.
Hannon can do what dad didn't in Guineas
Spielberg points out the seemingly inevitable conservatism of the movie industry in the face of expanding content choices: "You're at the point right now where a studio would rather invest $250 million in one film for a real shot at the brass ring than make a whole bunch of really interesting, deeply personal - and even maybe historical - projects that may get lost in the shuffle."
Hollywood has long been dying, but beware when movie legends tell you so
What we used: Rustoleum all-surface paint in black satin, 250ml, pounds 9.98 B&Q (www.diy.com, 0845 609 6688), acrylic paint in antique gold, 59ml, pounds 1.49 (www.hobbycraft.co.uk, 0800 027 2387), 6 x brass ring pull drawer handles, pounds 1.65 each (try eBay).
1 chest of drawers.. 3 DIY IDEAS; Give new furniture an old look for under pounds 50
Graduation is the brass ring she hangs onto in order to get through each miserable day.
Colasanti, Susane. Keep Holding On
The Brass Ring. So you have employees whom you train well.
More carrot, less stick: keeping employees motivated
Maybe you will find you have been chasing the wrong brass ring. Maybe you will become inspired to use your gifts of greatness in a way that not only brings you great personal abundance, but also greatly rewards those who get the privilege of being served by you.
I want to rename this magazine
Many are yellow-flowered (this is the brass ring of clivia breeding), and even the orange ones looked special grading toward red and with striking throat coloration in light yellows.
A pretty flower for a pretty penny
The Rays of the baseball world certainly have shown that if you draft well and develop talent, you have a shot at the brass ring. But that ring becomes harder and harder to grasp the further you're key talent moves along in major league service time.
Red Sox Make Carl Crawford 10th Most Lucrative MLB Deal Ever
And it positions them for that brass ring of all desperate leaders: martyrdom.
No attention for forum is best protest
Add an extra top rung to the tomato frame with a 6-inch brass ring (available from craft stores) for the form.
Homegrown glitz: simple tomato frames are transformed into elegant Christmas centerpieces
In this case it was a 1-1/4" brass ring I found at a yard sale.
Hanging solar mood lights: here's a nifty way to add a little drama to your yard ..
If you've seen me speak, you've likely seen my horseshoes and brass ring trick: Two horseshoes connected at the open ends by three links of chain on each side with a small brass ring trapped between them.
The rules of the business have changed
Others worked at it too, but O'Hara gets the brass ring.
Selected Poems
All of us are looking for the brass ring, and we may wish to know many things to get the best out of our lives.
Life Is Too Short: Choices in Life Second Edition
Who will grab the brass ring or rings this year, how do judges decide, what are the deadlines or new rules - and does it really matter?
New 'E&P' Audio/Podcast: Forget the Super Bowl and the Oscars -- Pulitzer Season is Here!