Brass Balls - Television Tropes & Idioms

Sometimes a person does something that's very brave or dangerous, this or one of many variants of this statement is said. For example, "Insulting his boss like that... man he got balls of steel!".

Once in a while said for female characters even with lack of such parts. Or adapted into "brass ovaries" or something similar.

Not to be confused with attack on those parts... like Balls of Steel or Groin Attack.

Examples:

Anime

In The Slayers, a bandit says to Lina: "You have some balls, kiddie! Oh wait, you don't, you're a girl."
In the Hetalia Bloodbath 2010, China utters this immortal line to Hong Kong:
"Choosing to go naked rather than wear a maid outfit? ....YOU'VE GOT BALLS-ARU!!"
The English Dub of Rosario + Vampire plays this nearly word for word when Kou accidentally looks up Inner Moka's and Kokoa's skirts.
Inner Moka: Well, you've got some big, brass ones, I'll give ya that much.

Comics

Micronauts: The Micronaut once stated that it has literal brass balls.
There is a character that literally has this as a last name in The Dark Knight Returns. His character and actions, though, are an inversion.

Film

In Speed when Jack Traven survives one of the many death defying moments he encounters over the course of the film a passenger cheerfully informs him:
Ortiz: You're not too bright, man, but you got some big, round, hairy cojones.
Jack: That...is really, really gross, Ortiz.
The centerpiece of Alec Baldwin's epic speech in Glengarry Glen Ross is his use of a visual aid to demonstrate what a real estate salesman needs.
There's a great scene in LA Story where Harris (Steve Martin) is walking on the beach with arrogant bastard Roland (Richard E. Grant) and there's this metallic clanging noise. Harris asks what it was and Roland says, "It's a nuisance. It's my damn testicles."
Wayne's World: When Wayne kicks Cassandra's father in the nuts in a kung-fu duel, a pair of two Chinese medicine balls (made of metal, of course) fall out.
Heard in Who Framed Roger Rabbit when Eddie confronts R.K. Maroon.
R.K. Maroon: You got a lot of brass coming in here by yourself.
Devastator from Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen.
In Police Academy 4 Callahan (a female instructor) informs a nervous female recruit that "soon, you'll have abs of steel, ice in your veins and a set of brass balls like this!" (indicating the size of two basketballs).
The Jackie Chan movie Mr Nice Guy has a scene where Jackie's Friend on the Force confronts the Big Bad for harming his father, but to no avail, leading to this immortal line:
Big Bad: "That boy's got some big brass ones... He'd better be careful or he'll find them hanging on his Christmas tree!"

Literature

Ernest Hemingway's 1932 book on bullfighting, Death in the Afternoon.
"It takes more cojones," he wrote, "to be a sportsman where death is a closer party to the game."
The Dresden Files: "You can say what you like about Gentleman Johnny Marcone, but he has a set of brass balls that drag the ground when he walks." Harry is also accused of such in Dead Beat when Thomas blackmails the head of the White Court in his name.

Live-Action TV

During the WWE Attitude Era Mankind practically made a company-wide Catch Phrase out of "Testicular Fortitude" (a play on "intestinal fortitude" - i.e., guts). Vince McMahon is the one who ran with it the most, such as,
I've got the brass [balls], to fire your ass!
MythBusters: After Jamie traverses their (increasingly wobbly) duct tape bridge, Adam says to the camera: "Ladies and gentlemen, they are made of brass, James Hyneman!"
Stephen Colbert talks about his brass balls quite often. They're the only thing that give him the guts to speak the truth.
While executing a painful squeeze on a rival, Elisabeth Rohm's character on Bull informs him that "9 times out 10, brass balls will get you anything you want ... I've got them; you don't. Too bad for you."
Dr. Brennan is credited with these, at which point she immediately replies that she has ovaries.
In Angel, Lindsay calls Angel a vampire "with big brass testes" after he reveals his plan to go after The Circle of the Black Thorn.

Tabletop Games

One common saying (in fanon) about the Imperial Guard (the Red Shirt Army of the Imperium in Warhammer40000) is that on the first day, each recruit is handed a T-shirt (flak jacket), flashlight (a lasgun, one of the weakest possible weapons*
in 40k, that means it can "only" dismember an unarmored target in one hit
), and a wheelbarrow for their pair of giant steel balls.

Video Games

Both Bioshock games uses this as a name for an achievement in some way. The first game has 'Brass Balls' which requires you to finish the game on Hard difficulty without using any Vita-Chambers. The second game has 'Big Brass Balls' which only requires you to complete the game without using any Vita-Chambers.
The Krogan race in the Mass Effect universe have four testicles, so whenever they feel the need to display recognition of a particularly badass individual, they say "he has got a quad". Commander Shepard earns it after you defeat the Thresher Maw on Tuchanka. Yes, even if you play as Female!Shepard. Just goes to show the sheer manliness of that deed. Shepherd is even at one point referred to as a "quint". I'll let you figure that one out...
The boiler boss in Conkers Bad Fur Day has a pair of literal brass balls.
- They're his weak point.
One of Duke Nukem's catchphrase: "I've got balls of steel!"
- The company that made Duke Nukem, 3D Realms, later released a pinball game named Balls of Steel.
In Suikoden II, when Jowy tells Luca Blight that he intends to marry Jillia, Luca responds with an Evil Laugh and shouts, "You've got balls, I'll give you that!"

Webcomics

The Order of the Stick: Xykon, an epic lich sorcerer to an injured and unarmed O-Chul, charging him: "Wow. You got some +5 Holy Cojones on you, paladin." Here.
Schlock Mercenary: Petey said "balls of steel" in this strip.