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

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

As they pulled into the fenced lot, a guard in a security booth asked if the vehicle had any knives, guns, Mace or brass knuckles.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2022

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