Buttonholding

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Stopping a person and holding them in lengthy conversation against their will ; working stitches over the raw edge of a piece of fabric to finish it
2. The practice of cornering someone to talk at length when they would rather leave ; the act of overcasting a cut edge with close stitches to prevent fraying
3. Detaining a listener with persistent talk that they cannot easily escape ; binding the border of cloth with tight looping thread

Etymology: "Buttonholding" is the present participle of "buttonhole," used as a verb meaning to stop someone, usually by gripping their coat button, and hold them in unwanted conversation. The verb is a figurative extension of the noun, which names the slit through which a button is passed. "Button" comes from Old French "bouton," meaning a bud or knob, and "hole" is an Old English word. Combined, the noun describes a literal opening in cloth, and the verb turns that opening into a way of pinning a listener in place.

Synonyms: accost, waylay, collar, importune, corner