buttonhole

/'bʌtnhoul/

Thân thiện

He made a neat buttonhole with his needle and thread.

Definition

1. Noun:

   • A slit or hole in a garment through which a button is passed to fasten it: A "buttonhole" is specifically the opening designed to receive and secure a button.
   • A flower or small bouquet worn in a buttonhole or on the lapel: This meaning refers to a decorative ornament, often a flower, worn on clothing, typically through a buttonhole or pinned nearby.

2. Verb:

   • To detain someone in conversation, often in a persistent or inconvenient manner: To "buttonhole" someone means to stop them and engage them in talk, typically in a way that is difficult to escape from.

Examples

• Noun:

  • I need to sew this buttonhole more securely. (The opening for the button needs repair.)
  • He wore a red carnation in his buttonhole for the wedding. (A flower was worn as decoration on his lapel.)

• Verb:

  • The reporter managed to buttonhole the senator as he left the building. (The reporter stopped and detained the senator for conversation.)

Advanced Usage

• "to make a buttonhole": to create the slit for a button, often as part of sewing.

  • After attaching the button, she learned how to make a buttonhole by hand.

• "buttonhole stitch": a specific, strong stitch used to reinforce the edges of a buttonhole.

  • The durability of the buttonhole depends on using a proper buttonhole stitch.

Variants and Related Words

• Buttonholer (n): A person who buttonholes others, or a sewing machine attachment for making buttonholes.
• Buttonholing (n/gerund): The act of detaining someone in conversation.

Synonyms

• Noun (for the hole): Slit, opening.
• Noun (for the flower): Boutonniere, lapel flower.
• Verb: Accost, waylay, detain, corner.

Related Phrases

• To be/put in a buttonhole: To be worn as a boutonniere.
  • The small rose was put in his buttonhole.

Idioms

• "To have a bee in one's buttonhole" (archaic/rare): To be obsessed with a particular idea or topic.
  • He has a bee in his buttonhole about recycling; he talks about it constantly. (This idiom connects to the verb meaning of persistent talk.)

Học thuật

Noun

1. a hole through which buttons are pushed

Verb

1. detain in conversation by or as if by holding on to the outer garments of; as for political or economic favors

Từ đồng nghĩa

• button hole
• lobby