I was reading a novel of intrigue, “Mr. Moto Is So Sorry”, by J. P. Marquand, and came across this sentence:

“Perhaps you have seen our silver work with the inlay of gunmetal cut right through the silver?”

I’d always assumed that gunmetal was steel, and that seemed difficult to do with steel, so I checked the definition. It’s this:

noun
a gray, corrosion-resistant form of bronze containing zinc, formerly used for making cannon.

And that’s one thing I learned today!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Pipe Smoker,

Huh!

I think I've only ever heard it in the context of color (i.e. "gunmetal gray" or shorthand for that). I just assumed it meant steel, too.