brass knuckles

American  

noun

1. a band of metal with four holes that fits over the upper fingers and that is gripped when a fist is made, used for increasing the effect of a blow with the fist.

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Usage

What else does brass knuckles mean? Brass knuckles are a piece of metal designed to fit around the fingers by the lower knuckles and gripped by the hand. They can pack a powerful, potentially lethal punch. How do you pronounce brass knuckles?[ bras nuhk-uhls ]

Etymology

Origin of brass knuckles

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55

Example Sentences

Bold works can hit with such a wallop that it takes a beat to gauge their lasting impact, to tell which set of brass knuckles left a mark: love or hate?

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2025

Small groups of extremists, some members sporting brass knuckles, showed up at one farmers’ demonstration last month in the southern city of Montpellier.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 18, 2024

Business and civic leaders, in the large corporations and the elite universities, should grow some brass knuckles, too.

From Salon • Nov. 20, 2020

He crafts dialogue with the florid, evocative quality endemic to writers who get their start on pulp literature, wielding similes like brass knuckles.

From The Guardian • Mar. 22, 2019

Last week, agents at U.S. airport security checkpoints intercepted 45 guns, an assortment of knives and brass knuckles, and several deactivated hand grenades.

From Washington Post • Jun. 3, 2015