i bara mässingen
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Swedish
[edit]
Etymology
[edit]Literally, "in just the brass".
It used to be common practice to silver-plate brass objects to make a more valuable impression. With use, the silver wore away and the brass came out. This is probably the origin of the expression.[1]
Prepositional phrase
[edit]- (idiomatic) nude, stark naked (without any clothing)
- Synonyms: naken, avklädd, blottad, i adamsdräkt, i evakostym, i naturtillstånd, i paradisdräkt, in naturalibus, nakot, naturell, näck, oklädd, som gud skapade en, spritt språngande, strippad, utan en tråd på kroppen
- I bara mässingen besteg han en ryttarstaty nära premiärminister David Camerons kansli.
- Stark naked, he climbed an equestrian statue near Prime Minister David Cameron's office.
References
[edit]- ^ “Mässing”, in Svenska Akademiens Ordbok[1] (in Swedish), 1945, retrieved 2020-12-01: “uttr. syftar sannol. på försilvrade mässingsföremål med försilvringen mer l. mindre avnött, så att mässingen skiner igenom ― the term probably refers to silver-plated brass objects with the silver-plating more or less worn, so that the brass shines through”