sleeve-link

A gentleman adjusts his sleeve-link before a meeting.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A sleeve-link is a fastener used to connect the two sides of a shirt cuff, typically consisting of two decorative heads joined by a short chain or bar. It is a type of cufflink, specifically designed for use with dress shirts that have buttonholes on the cuff.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • He fastened his shirt cuff with a gold sleeve-link. (A decorative fastener for the cuff of a dress shirt.)
  • The antique sleeve-link was made of enamel and silver. (A cufflink used to secure the sleeve opening.)

Advanced Usage

• "to wear sleeve-links": to use cufflinks as part of formal or business attire.

  • For the wedding, all the groomsmen wore sleeve-links with the couple's initials. (They used custom cufflinks for the event.)

• "sleeve-link set": a matching pair of cufflinks.

  • She gave him a sleeve-link set for his birthday. (A coordinated pair of cufflinks.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cufflink (n): a broader term for any fastener used to close a shirt cuff, including sleeve-links.

  • He prefers simple cufflinks for everyday wear. (A general term for cuff fasteners.)

• Button-link (n): a similar fastener that uses a button instead of a decorative head.

  • The vintage shirt had button-links instead of modern cufflinks. (An alternative type of cuff fastener.)

Synonyms

• Cufflink: the most common synonym, though "sleeve-link" is more specific to the linking mechanism.
• Cuff fastener: a generic term for any device that closes a shirt cuff.

Related Idioms

• "To link sleeves": a rare phrase meaning to cooperate or join forces, derived from the idea of connecting cuffs.
  • The two companies decided to link sleeves on the new project. (They agreed to collaborate closely.)

Phrasal Verbs

• Link up: to connect or join together, similar to the function of a sleeve-link.
  • The tailor linked up the cuff with a silver sleeve-link. (He fastened the cuff using the link.)