Top Brass: What American Workers Call Their Employers

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On weekends and during holidays, many of us enjoy doing nothing. But most of the time we have to work. And, to keep our jobs, we must work hard. Our employer will not like it if we do nothing.

American workers often call their employers bosses. The word boss comes from the Dutch word, baas, meaning master.

the brass. They also are sometimes called top brass, or brass hats.

the brass.  Or he might have been called a brass hat.  Or, even the top brass.

A newspaper in the American city of Philadelphia used the term in nineteen forty-nine. It called the most important police officials, top brass.

big cheese.  A cheese is a solid food made from milk.

a big thing.

big leader.

big cheeses, top brass or brass hats to their faces.

Employers also have expressions to describe their workers. One of them that describes a good worker is that he or she works like a Trojan. 

Now, the expression often is used to describe an employee who works hard for a company. A loyal, hard-working employee is said to work like a Trojan.

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This Special English program, Words and Their Stories, was written by Jeri Watson. I'm Susan Clark.