top brass

Originally military slang, from [the] brass (“high-ranking officers”).

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top brass (usually uncountable, plural top brasses)

1. (collective, colloquial) A group of people who are the leaders or heads of an organization.

   Synonyms: governance, governing body, organisation, administration, establishment

   • 1872, New Zealand Parliament, House of Representatives, “Parliamentary debates”, in 57, volumes 1-6, page 649:

     The top brass of the army are up to various types of mischief and they do not want the public or even Members of Parliament to know about them.

   • 1962 February, “No Talent on the Railways?”, in Modern Railways, page 74:

     The general who turned the tide at Alamein was not, prior to his arrival in the Middle East, one of the very "top brass"; but he was a soldier, not a detergent manufacturer.

   • 2022 January 22, Vincent Ni, “China hires western TikTokers to polish its image during 2022 Winter Olympics”, in The Guardian‎:

     On 3 January, Republican senator Rick Scott urged in a letter to Newsweek’s top brass to “reconsider its relationship with Vipp Jaswal”.

   • 2022 November 9, “Kherson: Russia to withdraw troops from key Ukrainian city”, in BBC News‎:

     The military's top brass were seen making the decision on Russian state TV, with Gen Surovikin reporting on the situation on the ground in Kherson.

• Jonathon Green (2024) “top brass n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang

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