brass ring

noun

, Informal.

1. wealth, success, or a prestigious position considered as a goal or prize:

   Few of those who reach for the brass ring of the Presidency achieve it.

2. the opportunity to try for such a prize.

Word History and Origins

Origin of brass ring¹

From the practice of picking a ring from a box while riding a merry-go-round: whoever selected a brass ring received a free ride

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

That’s a fundamental concern of sculpture in every artistic age and culture — its brass ring, if you will — and here it does yeoman’s work in energizing spaces both actual and illusionistic.

From Los Angeles Times

“They are that brass ring that everyone chased, only to find that it was made out of tin,” Shapiro said.

From Los Angeles Times

Upgrading once-ignored food into tasty, healthy treats is the brass ring of food waste prevention efforts.

From Seattle Times

There is no ladder of success in the business, there is no brass ring at the end.

From Los Angeles Times

Abloh hadn’t studied fashion design, but he had worked his way through false starts, fashion competitions, his own brand, DJing and collaborating until he grabbed one of the industry’s few brass rings.

From Washington Post