brass knucks

9.9

A small metal weapon worn over the knuckles to make a punch hit harder

noun
/bræs nʌks/

NSFW

: nudillos de metal

For protection, he decided to carry a pair of brass knucks in his pocket.

Examples

He wore brass knucks during the fight to increase the impact of his punches.
The boxer slid his hands into brass knucks to enhance his striking power.
Here's a pair of brass knucks.

The Bowery (1933)

Synonyms

brass knuckles

vsbrass knucks

NSFW

5 7.7

A metal band worn over the knuckles to make a punch stronger

is the same meaning but written as a shorter informal form

knuckles

vsbrass knucks

2 9.5

A small metal weapon that fits over your fingers to make a punch stronger

focuses on being worn for effect rather than on design intention

knucks

vsbrass knucks

Slang

9.9

A small metal weapon that you wear on the back of the hand to hit someone

is the neutral standard term rather than a casual slang form

knuckle duster

vsbrass knucks

8.6

A small metal weapon that fits over the knuckles to make a punch stronger

is defined by increasing the force of a blow rather than frequency of use

Surface Forms

brass knucks plural

Morphology

brass + knucks

The compound directly combines the material 'brass' with the object 'knucks' (a knuckle weapon), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it is a knuckle weapon made of brass that increases punching force. This straightforward noun+noun composition follows normal compositional patterns and is therefore immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Brass knucks comes from the simple idea of metal brass fitted over the knucks of the hand. This made a punch hit harder, so today brass knucks means 'a small metal weapon worn over the knuckles to increase the force of a blow'.