brass-rubbing

[ bras-ruhb-ing, brahs- ]

noun

1. an antiquarian's technique for copying designs from incised brass memorial slabs and the like.
2. a copy made by brass-rubbing. Compare rubbing ( def 2 ).

brass rubbing

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of brass-rubbing¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Burton And Taylor is another BBC4 biopic: that blend of voyeurism, nostalgia and interpretive biographical brass-rubbing that traditionally ends up chin down in a puddle of prurience.

From The Guardian

Down with the heritage fossicking, the interpretive biographical brass-rubbing, the wilting tropes, broken metaphorical harnesses, deserted theatres, beige tanktops and indiscriminate mythologisation of performers who happened to live during a perceived Golden Age™ of Our Collective Cultural Past® Let's instead allow our heroes and heroines to gather dust in our memories, their talent allowed to live for ever – free from the reductive pincers of the gimlet-eyed TV biographer – in their films, TV specials and yellowing holiday snaps.

From The Guardian

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

From Time Magazine Archive

We were considerably softened towards our guest, though the next time Emily came on him he was standing in the hall, transfixed in contemplation of her greatest achievement in brass-rubbing, a severe and sable knight with the most curly of nostrils, the stiffest and straightest of mouths, hair straight on his brows, pointed toes joined together below, and fingers touching over his breast. 

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg