Whose Finger Do You Want on the Button?

Whose Finger Do You Want on the Button?

Now, Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning¹ English.

On this program, we explore the meaning of everyday expressions in the English language. Today, we talk about a common object that appears in many expressions – buttons!

When we pronounce this word, we often swallow the “t’s” and pronounce, “buttons.”

Buttons are found on all sorts of clothing. They are usually small and round and made of metal or plastic. They fasten, or connect, one piece of clothing to another. They make sure your clothes don’t fall off. When speaking or writing in English, buttons can be just as useful.

Some buttons can be beautiful and even have very fine details.

But are they cute?

To be cute as a button is an old saying. It means to be attractive or sweet, but in a small way.

Babies are often described as cute as a button. Language experts don’t know why. But they do say this expression dates back to the late 1860s.

But we do know more about two other button expressions: button-down and buttoned-up.

Men or women often wear button-down shirts to the office. Button-down as an adjective² means to be conservative³ or traditional. People described as buttoned-down stay close as possible to the normal way of dressing⁴ and behaving. They don’t wear crazy clothing or do unusual things.

People and events can both be described as buttoned-down. We should note here that as an adjective you can either say "buttoned-down” or “button-down.”

However, the adjective buttoned-up is a little different.

If someone is buttoned-up, he or she seems very business-like. In personal relationships, a buttoned-up person is cold and standoffish, meaning they physically⁵ and emotionally⁶ keep away from others. Buttoned-up people are not warm or friendly. And they do not share their inner⁷ thoughts and feelings with others.

Using buttoned-up as an adjective always uses “buttoned.” In the expression button up, “button” is a verb. It means to stop talking.

There are many other ways “button” is used as a verb. When you fasten a button, you can also just say button a button. So, you can say to a friend, "Hey, your top button is unbuttoned. You should button it."

When button a button you slip it into a buttonhole. A buttonhole traps the button. So, to buttonhole someone means you have trapped them in a spoken conversation.

Now, let’s say you find yourself buttonholed in a conversation at a party. The person just keeps talking and talking and talking! Finally, you can’t take it any longer. You tell the person to button it! This is a direct, but unacceptable way of saying, “Stop talking!”

Button your lip is another equally rude but effective way to stop a person who talks too much.

Keep in mind these expressions should only be used in extreme situations with difficult people.

Another kind of difficult person is someone who pushes your buttons.

To push someone’s buttons means to know exactly how to get that person angry or upset. People who like to push other people’s buttons usually do it for selfish reasons. First they find a person’s weak point. Then they use it to upset them.

Button-pushers are very dislikable. People who push the panic button are not as disliked as button-pushers. However, they can be tiring to others. In a crisis⁸, it is important to remain calm. Pushing the panic button can make an already tense situation worse.

However, to have your finger on the button is a serious expression, especially when you are president of the United States. It means you have the ability to launch⁹ a nuclear attack.

In a U.S. presidential election¹⁰ campaign, voters are sometimes asked the question, “Do you really want that person to have their finger on the button?” That is a way of saying the candidate¹¹ cannot be trusted.

Speaking of politics, in political discussions¹² there are many hot button issues.

These days in the United States, illegal immigration is a hot button issue. A hot button issue is one that causes people to react with strong emotion. Many people cannot talk about it without getting worked up. Such issues can often lead to arguments.

Now, let’s hear how to use some of these button expressions in a short dialogue.

A: Did you have fun at the party last night?

B: Oh, it was … okay. Most of the people I talked to were buttoned-down political types. All they wanted to talk about were the hot-button issues from the election campaign.

A: Two of them tried to buttonhole me into a political conversation. But I avoided getting involved.

B: How did you do that?

A: I brought up some other heated issues, ones that I knew would push their buttons. When they began arguing, I was able to slip away.

B: Good for you. I got buttonholed with a few people for an hour.

A: How did you finally get away from them?

B: I pushed the panic button. I yelled¹³, “Look! A rat!!” Everyone shouted and ran away.

A: You’re terrible. I’ll have to remember that one.

And that brings us to the end of Words and Their Stories. But don’t push the panic button! We’ll be back next week.

Words in This Story

swallow – v. to utter¹⁴ sounds indistinctly

standoffish – adj. not friendly toward¹⁵ other people

rude – adj. not having or showing concern or respect for the rights and feelings of other people : not polite

worked up – adj. very angry, excited, or upset about something

to slip away - verbal phrase to leave a place without being noticed <They slipped away from the party right after dinner.>

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 adjective   

n.形容词；adj.形容词的，用作形容词的

参考例句：

• Don't apply that adjective to me.不要用那个字眼来形容我。
• The adjective loose has several senses. 形容词loose有几个义项。

3 conservative   

adj.保守的，守旧的；n.保守的人，保守派

参考例句：

• He is a conservative member of the church.他是一个守旧教会教友。
• The young man is very conservative.这个年轻人很守旧。

4 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

5 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

6 emotionally   

adv.感情上，情绪上，冲动地

参考例句：

• a special school for emotionally disturbed children 为精神异常儿童开办的特殊学校
• A wide range of emotionally stressful events may trigger a relapse. 多种令人情绪紧张的事情都可能引起旧病复发。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 inner   

adj.内部的，里面的；内在的，内心的；精神的

参考例句：

• The label is on the inner side of the box.标签贴在盒子内侧。
• Other people seek the mountains for renewal of their inner lives.另一些人到深山中去，寻求新的精神生活。

8 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

9 launch   

vt.发动，推出；发射；n.发射，下水，投产

参考例句：

• The makers are about to launch out a new product.制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。
• Would it be wise to launch into this rough sea?在这样汹涌的大海中游泳明智吗？

10 election   

n.选举，选择权；当选

参考例句：

• There is no doubt but that he will win the election.毫无疑问，他将在竞选中获胜。
• The government will probably fall at the coming election.在即将到来的大选中，该政府很可能要垮台。

11 candidate   

n.候选人；候补者；投考者，申请求职者

参考例句：

• Voters like a candidate who has the common touch. 投票者喜欢那些平易近人的候选人。
• The local newspapers dressed up the candidate as a boxer.当地报纸把那个候选人描绘成一个拳击手。

12 discussions   

n.讨论( discussion的名词复数 )；商讨；详述；论述

参考例句：

• Discussions are held on an informal basis within the department. 讨论限于在本部门内非正式地进行。
• Her specialist input to the discussions has been very useful. 她在这些讨论中提供的专家建议很有助益。

13 yelled   

v.叫喊，号叫，叫着说( yell的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He yelled at the other driver. 他冲着另一位司机大叫。
• The lost man yelled, hoping someone in the woods would hear him. 迷路的人大声喊着，希望林子里的人会听见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 utter   

vt.发出(声音)，说；adj.完全的，绝对的

参考例句：

• He smacked his lips but did not utter a word.他吧嗒两下嘴，一声也不言语。
• I was at an utter loss what to do.我完全不知道该怎样做才好。

15 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。