"Buttress" Natural Recordings by Native Speakers
To buttress something means to support or strengthen it, usually to prevent it from collapsing or failing. It can also refer to the act of adding extra support or reinforcement to something already in place, such as the buttresses that are often built into the walls of a structure to add extra strength and stability.
Buttoned refers to something that is done, fixed, or settled, often in a formal or official sense. For example, "The company's financial troubles were buttoned up by a new investor." It can also be used to describe someone's clothes, meaning fastened or secured with buttons, often used to imply neatness or tidiness, such as "She always wears her shirt buttoned up to work."
A buttonhole is a small opening or loop sewn into a garment, typically a jacket or coat, through which a button can be passed to fasten the garment. It is also used as a metaphor for a small opening or weakness through which something can be gained or taken advantage of.
To buttonhole someone means to stop and talk to them for a long time, often in a public place, usually about a particular topic or issue. It implies that the speaker has interruptied or detained the person in order to converse with them.
Buttonholes are small openings or loops through which a button is threaded to fasten a piece of clothing, typically a shirt, blouse, or coat.
Buttonholing is a verb that means to engage in a prolonged and often enthusiastic or argumentative discussion with someone, typically in order to persuade or convince them of a particular point of view or idea. The person engaging in the conversation may ask a series of questions, make a number of points, or raise various objections in an effort to sway the other person's opinion.
A buttonhook is a small tool used to thread a needle or to hook and unhook buttons, especially those with small holes or with difficulty, such as on a coat, shirt, or dress.
The verb "buttoning" means to fasten or close something, typically a garment, by doing up buttons. For example: "She was buttoning up her coat before going outside."
Small discs or pieces with a hole in the center, typically fastened to a garment or used to control the operation of a machine or device.