Demystifying “Button” Slang in British English: An In-Depth Linguistic Guide

Friend, as someone passionate about etymology and cultural linguistics, I’m delighted to provide this deep dive into the word “button” and its usage in British slang. Grab a cuppa, get cozy, and let’s unravel this curious tangle of British colloquialisms!

The Interesting Origins of “Button”

The word “button” dates back to the 1300s, originating from the Old French word “bouton” meaning “bud.” By the 1500s, it had evolved to specifically describe the small, round knobs used to fasten clothing.

But why a bud? Well, early buttons were often made of threaded loops of fabric, metal rings, or knobs of bone, horn, or wood. Their protruding shape vaguely resembled flower buds.

Once buttons became widespread for fastening clothes, tailors would refer to securing a garment as “buttoning it up.” And thus “button” entered the sartorial lexicon!

Over the centuries, technological innovations shaped button design. By the mid-1800s, button mass production exploded, facilitated by new materials like rubber, glass, and plastics. This laid the foundation for our modern button enthusiasm.

How “Button” Buttoned Up British Slang

Beyond fashion, “button” popped up in British slang through some key linguistic associations:

1. Small, petite size: With most buttons being tiny and circular, they came to represent cuteness.

2. Fastening mechanism: Buttons attached separate pieces, inspiring metaphors.

3. Pressability: Buttons conjured images of pressing, poking, and provoking reactions.

These traits spawned idioms like “cute as a button”, “to button one’s lip”, “to press someone’s buttons”, and more. The word fused itself to British informal vocabulary.

Let’s analyze some of the most common British slang uses and meanings of “button”:

1. Button as Clitoris Slang

One of the most vulgar British slang meanings of “button” refers to the clitoris. For example:

• “He fingered her button during foreplay to excite her.”

• “She guided his hand between her legs and told him to rub her button.”

This usage emerged in the late 1800s, viewed as very indelicate. It associates the sensitive, petite shape of the clitoris with a button.

However, while still used, particularly in erotic writing, it’s generally considered crude rather than mainstream slang. One survey showed only 28% of British women were even familiar with this meaning. It’s been largely supplanted by scientific terms like “clit.”

So while capturing British linguistic history, “button” as an erogenous synonym remains on the taboo side.

2. Underworld Slang: Getting One’s Button

For British gangsters, “getting your button” refers to committing your first contract killing or assassination. According to mob tradition, it must be business-related; personal murders don’t count.

Once you “get your button”, you’ve passed an initiation into organized crime as a “button man.” Examples:

• “Jack got his button after icing the rival boss’ brother.”

• “In the old days, only button men who’d earned their button could become made men.”

This slang equates shooting someone to the press of a button, while the button “earned” represents a rite of passage. It connects to the idea of “hit men” who eliminate targets by metaphorically pressing a deadly button.

While almost mythologized in British mob lore, it represents the grim reality of underworld violence. Nonetheless, the slang persists in crime films and literature.

3. Button Girl

A more innocent early 20th century British slang term was “button girl” – referring to a girl or young woman who ardently collected buttons as a hobby. Considered a genteel pastime, button girls would:

• Catalog and display their buttons in special boxes or books
• Exchange rare buttons with other collectors
• Show off prized buttons from estate sales or vintage shops

Common collectible buttons then included shell, ceramic, metal, glass, and elaborately carved wood or bone types. Affluent Victorian button girls might acquire Limited Edition designs encrusted with jewels.

This hobby overlapped with the Victorian obsession with insect collecting. Girls were encouraged to cultivate dainty domestic pastimes and passions. And thus the “button girl” became a recognized British social archetype in the 1800s and early 1900s.

4. Cute as a Button

More broadly in British English, “button” affectionately refers to someone or something miniaturized and cute. For example:

• “That baby is as cute as a button in her tiny knitted hat!”

• “My new pet hamster is just the cutest little button when he nibbles his food.”

• “I baked these wee button cookies for the children’s bake sale.”

This usage reflects how the petite size, round shape, and delicate materials of buttons inspired comparisons to sweet little things. Early iterations included “nice as a button” (1731) and “tight as a button” (1825) before “cute” and “pretty” eclipsed them.

However, while the cliché remains widespread, some criticize “cute as a button” as ableist, reinforcing that small, round, and non-threatening traits define cuteness. Language evolves, but this button metaphor persists.

5. Pushing Buttons

The phrase “to push someone’s buttons” means to intentionally or unintentionally annoy, provoke, or upset them:

• “Don’t let him push your buttons and get under your skin.”

• “My sister always knew how to push my buttons and work me up as kids.”

This reflects how pressing buttons can trigger reactions. Derived from manipulating actual buttons to control electrical devices, it portrays people as machines whose emotions can be mechanically stimulated.

“Hot button issue” works similarly, describing a perpetually controversial, inflammatory topic that mobilizes people’s deepest feelings and prejudices.

These metaphors capture how mere contact with certain buttons elicits disproportionate responses. Understanding real psychological motivations allows us to thoughtfully push or avoid pressed buttons.

6. Keeping Things Low-Key

In modern British slang, “low-key” means subtle, understated, or on the down-low. For example:

• “I low-key don’t love this pub but don’t want to seem rude leaving so soon.”

• “They’ve been low-key dating for months without any big public announcement.”

This contrasts something “high-key” – loud, intense, exaggerated, over-the-top. The slang usage extends from various meanings of the adjective “low-key” itself – quiet, small-scale, inconspicuous, etc.

It joins terms like “on the DL”, “on the down-low", and “on the QT”, reflecting society’s chronic FOMO and obsession with being in-the-know. But linguistically, it captures our spectrum from ambivalent to zealous.

7. British Slang for Men/Guys

Plenty of vibrant British slang exists for men or guys, including:

Bloke – “Seems like a decent bloke, doesn’t he?”

Chap – “That newspaper chap was awfully pushy with questions.”

Geezer – “Some geezer down at the pub got into a fight last night.”

Lad – “Alright lads, who’s getting the first round?”

While some terms skew older or younger, they capture the diversity of British informal language. Compared to American dude/guy dominance, Brits furnish far more blokes and geezers.

8. Slang Terms for Attractive British Men

To cheekily describe an attractive British man or hunk, slang might include:

Totty – “The new mechanic is certainly some nice totty!”

Sort – “Oh, he’s quite a sort, idn’t he?”

Dish – “Blimey, that fella over there is a bit of dish!”

Cracking lad – “Now there’s a cracking lad if I ever saw one!”

Ranging from flattering to vulgar, these underline how British slang revels in creatively objectifying the male physique through colorful idioms.

9. British Flirtatious Slang

When initiating romance, Brits deploy slang including:

Fancy a snog? – Fancy kissing/making out?

You’re a bit of alright – You’re pretty sexy/desirable

Do you fancy going for a drink/bite? – Would you be interested in a date?

You’re fit as feck – You’re extremely physically attractive

From coy innuendo to statements of lusty intent, British flirting thrives on playful linguistic subtext and euphemism. Words like “snog”, “shag”, “fancy” and “fit” sprinkle spice on staid dictionary dating terms.

10. Sexual and Lustful Slang

Speaking of snogging and shagging, sexuality oozes through British slang:

Shag – Have sex

Nosh – Oral sex

Snog – Passionate kissing

Knickers – Women’s underwear

Fancy – To be attracted to

And a lusty person can be:

Gagging for it – Desperate for sex

Horny – Sexually aroused

Randy – Lustful

Minger – An unattractive person

Far from puritanical, British English embraces frank erotic lexicon. Much relates to historic gender and class divides, but linguistic liberation marches onward.

11. Words for Drunk/Tipsy

Got a lad gone wild down the pub? Brit slang offers:

Trollied – Very drunk

Wasted – Very intoxicated

Tipsy – Slightly drunk

Off your face – Totally smashed

Smashed – Also means very drunk

Plastered – Hammered, overserved

The variety reflects Britain’s affection for drink. When sloshed, Brits don’t just get “drunk”; they get trollied beyond belief down the apples and pears!

12. British Slang Exclamations

Some brilliant British slang exclamations include:

Blimey! – Expression of surprise.

Cor blimey! – See above, but more emphatic.

Flippin’ Nora! – Exclamation of shock.

Gordon Bennett! – Expression of disbelief.

Absobloodylutely! – Emphatic yes.

That’s brill! – That’s excellent!

Take the mick – To make fun of someone

Do one’s nut – To be very angry

The cheeky irreverence and whimsy of these outbursts capture the British national spirit. Bonus points for unleashing a few in conversation to befuddle your American chums.

In Conclusion: The Button of British Slang

In reviewing how “button” has threaded itself through British slang linguistics, we’ve covered some key insights:

• The multipurpose word evolved from clothing fasteners to expansive idiomatic usage

• It often connects to buttons being petite, circular, pressable, and fastening separate objects

• Slang meanings range from erotic to violent to sweetly innocent

• It ties into broader linguistic patterns like sexual/intoxication euphemisms

So next time you say someone’s “cute as a button” or “pushing my buttons”, you can appreciate the deeper cultural resonance! The button may seem small, but it fastens together the very fabric of British informal vocabulary. Cheers to learning, friend!