Question: Brass bands were being discussed today which naturally led to someone claiming to be *brassed off* about something, meaning disgruntled or annoyed. Does anyone know the origin of this expression? Michael Quinion over at [World Wide Words](http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-bra2.htm) suggests the phrase may have arisen from the Royal Navy's use of cleaning brasswork as a punishment, but that doesn't seem altogether convincing.

Answer: 
This NGram suggests **brassed off** came later than **brass monkey**, as used in the expression *cold enough to freeze the balls/nose off a brass monkey*. I know some of the earlier usages for *brass monkey* here don't actually have that figurative meaning, but plenty do.

In light of that, I would simply say that "brassed off" actually *derives* from the earlier expression. If you've been kept hanging about in the cold, that's a typical situation where you'd be "brassed off".

Huge numbers of slang expressions are assigned naval/military origins, and I suppose it's always possible sailors were more in the habit of using that colourful metaphor for *biting cold*, but I doubt it's got anything to do with actual specific things made of brass on ships or similar.

![.](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qSfwh.png)
"Top Brass" meant command, because of their brass insignia. "Brassed Off" might mean told off by military authority, in a slang sense.