brass hat
1
8.0
- noun
- /bræs hæt/
- Jargon
:
alto mando
- I tell you, Kenny, these brass hats have one big advantage.
Examples
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The brass hat issued orders to the troops from his command post.
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During the meeting, the brass hat emphasized the importance of discipline among the soldiers.
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The soldiers respected their brass hat for his years of experience in military strategy.
Synonyms
80
4.1
An officer in charge of a group of soldiers
68
3.3
A person who commands soldiers or an army
9
6.3
A person who is in charge of a company or group
Antonyms
How Senior
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'a high-ranking officer' is directly derivable from combining 'brass' (here defined as senior leadership) with 'hat' (an informal label for a role/position): together they yield a leadership role in the military. This composition is predictable for learners who know the figurative sense of 'brass' and the metaphorical use of 'hat' for roles; if a learner only knew the literal metal sense of 'brass' it would be less transparent, but given the provided constituent meanings it is compositional.
Etymology
Brass hat likely comes from the bright metal badges and fittings officers wore on their caps. One popular story says soldiers began calling senior leaders 'brass hats' because of the shiny brass on their hat, so 'brass hat' came to mean 'a high-ranking officer'.