the.com/brass knuckles
a fist's argument upgraded to a closing statement.
means A set of metal rings or a molded piece worn over the knuckles to make a punch land far harder and more damagingly.
from A plain compound of "brass," the copper-zinc alloy, and "knuckles," the joints of the fingers — the name simply describing the thing: brass worn across the knuckles. English-speakers have called them this since the 19th century, when such weapons became common enough to need a name; the variant "knuckle-duster" (something that "dusts," i.e. strikes, the knuckles) appears around the same time. Though often made of iron or other metals, the brassy name stuck.
- legal status
- banned in many places, oddly legal in others
- ancient roots
- Roman gladiators wore the bronze ancestor, the cestus
- often brass-free
- most modern ones are actually aluminum or steel
- design flaw
- can break the wearer's hand on impact
- belt buckle disguise
- sold as buckles to dodge weapon laws
uk section 139a charge — brass knuckles classified as offensive weapons under uk law, possession illegal since 1933