Brass
In Yorkshire, brass means money, as in the saying "where there's muck, there's brass" - where there is dirty work, there is money to be made. The word has been slang for money in English for centuries, but it survives most strongly in the north.
In practice
You will hear "brass" in conversation - "it costs a lot of brass", "he's got plenty of brass" - and the muck-and-brass saying is used to describe Leeds's history as a city of wool mills, engineering and trade. Yorkshire people have a reputation, which many enjoy, for being careful with money and direct about prices: "how much brass?" is a fair question in any negotiation.
Why it matters to newcomers
In Leeds, talking about money plainly is not considered rude, and business conversations get to the point quickly. The phrase is also a reminder that the city's prosperity, from mills to finance and law, was built on practical trade.
Related
- Nowt and owt - as in "you don't get owt for nowt"
- Kirkgate Market - where Leeds has traded for over a century
- Corn Exchange - built for the city's merchants
Source: Wiktionary: brass.