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brass-rubbing

American  
[bras-ruhb-ing, brahs-] / ˈbræsˌrʌb ɪŋ, ˈbrɑs- /

noun

  1. an antiquarian's technique for copying designs from incised brass memorial slabs and the like.

  2. a copy made by brass-rubbing.

brass rubbing British  

noun

  1. the taking of an impression of an engraved brass tablet or plaque by placing a piece of paper over it and rubbing the paper with graphite, heelball, or chalk

  2. an impression made in this way

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of brass-rubbing

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The book is essentially a brass-rubbing on the tomb of a dead society.

From Time Magazine Archive

Spillikins, brass-rubbing, the Near Eastern Question, or anything like that?

From Psmith in the City by Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.