brush pass

[ bruhsh pas ]

noun

1. any of various methods by which a physical item is passed surreptitiously from one intelligence agent to another as they walk past each other, typically in a crowd where their movements are difficult to observe.

Word History and Origins

Origin of brush pass¹

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

“Just working on the brush pass.”

From Literature

The last thing he showed her was the brush pass.

From Literature

Then he slipped it into her pocket using a perfectly executed brush pass.

From Literature

Their weapons were the tradecraft of spies—the dead drop, the brush pass, the one-time pad—and their missions almost always had the same goal: to obtain vital information about the enemy.

From Literature

It portrays a black senior official addressing a class of new recruits and an African-American case officer doing a secret brush pass to hand off a thumb drive.

From New York Times