buttonhole
buttonhole Lexical Profile
buttonhole Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A small, reinforced slit made in a garment or fabric through which a button is passed to fasten it.
"The tailor carefully stitched around each buttonhole on the linen shirt."
British A flower or small spray of flowers worn in the lapel slit of a coat or jacket on formal occasions.
"The groom wore a white carnation buttonhole on the lapel of his morning suit."
• verb
To accost and detain a reluctant listener in conversation.
"Reporters tried to buttonhole the senator in the corridor after the committee hearing."
To make or stitch buttonholes in a garment, or to sew with a buttonhole stitch.
"She spent the afternoon learning how to buttonhole the cuffs of the handmade blouse."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the 16th century as a compound of 'button' and 'hole'. The figurative verb sense meaning 'to detain someone in conversation' arose in the mid-19th century as an alteration of 'buttonhold', referring to the literal act of grasping a listener's coat button or lapel so they could not walk away.