Buttonholds

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Stops a person and holds them in lengthy conversation when they would rather be elsewhere
2. Accosts someone and keeps them talking at length, often by grasping their clothing or arm
3. Corners another person and detains them with a long, unwanted monologue or discussion

Etymology: "Buttonhold" is a compound of "button" and "hold," and its sense is literal: to grab hold of someone by the coat button in order to keep them from leaving while you talk at length. The image of a person pinned by a button is older than the verb itself, which appears in English in the 1500s-1600s, though its exact first attestation is uncertain. Its earliest uses are concrete, describing a physical grip on a garment, and the sense of detaining a listener with unwanted conversation developed from there. "Buttonholds" is simply the third-person singular present form of the verb, so it describes a person who habitually or currently does this, as in "she buttonholds every guest at the party." The base verb is the root from which this form derives, and its history is as set out above.

Synonyms: accost, waylay, detain, corner