brassy (adj.)
"impudent," 1570s, from brass (n.) + -y (2). Compare brazen. Literal sense of "coated with brass" is from 1580s. Sense of "debased and pretentious" is from 1580s, from brass as contrasted with gold; sense of "strident and artificial" is from 1865. Related: Brassily; brassiness.