button up

Idioms: button up

1. Close securely, fasten, as in The house was all buttoned up, or Button up your coat--it's very cold. [Late 1500s]
2. Also, button one's lip. Hold one's tongue, keep quiet. For example, Please button your lip about the surprise. A variant of this usage, button one's mouth, dates from the 17th century. [Mid-1800s]
3. Finish successfully, as in I've got this report all buttoned up. [c. 1940]

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WordNet: button up

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The verb has one meaning:

Meaning #1: refuse to talk or stop talking; fall silent
Synonyms: close up, clam up, dummy up, shut up, belt up, be quiet, keep mum

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Copyrights:

		Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more