brazen bead
Preserved but no longer current.
The legend of the wonderful head of brass that could speak and was omniscient is common property to early romances, and is of Eastern origin. In Valentine and Orson, for instance, we hear of a gigantic head kept in the castle of the giant Ferragus (q. v.). of Portugal .
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “brazen bead” mean?
The legend of the wonderful head of brass that could speak and was omniscient is common property to early romances, and is of Eastern origin. In Valentine and Orson, for instance, we hear of a gigantic head kept in the castle of the giant Ferragus (q. v.). of Portugal .
Is “brazen bead” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.