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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Vocabulary

Why do we say button-up for a garment?

In practice, it seems most people I see start to close buttons on a garment from the top and work down. Why, then, do we commonly use the expression "button-up", when in practice we are actually buttoning down?
  

Top answer

Anonymous start to close buttons on a garment from the top and work down. The direction is irrelevant. There are probably historical reasons for the use of "up" in that expression.

— CalifJim

  • Anonymous start to close buttons on a garment from the top and work down.
  • The direction is irrelevant.
  • There are probably historical reasons for the use of "up" in that expression.
  • It's probably related to "up" as an indicator of readiness.
  • wake up, dress up, gear up The reasons for many word uses are lost in history.
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2 Answers
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Anonymousstart to close buttons on a garment from the top and work down.
The direction is irrelevant. There are probably historical reasons for the use of "up" in that expression. It's probably related to "up" as an indicator of readiness. wake up, dress up, gear up The reasons for many word uses are lost in history. They have become traditional co
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I don't think that "up" in "button up" has any connection with the direction in which the buttons are fastened. The "up" part, if it has a meaning at all, probably suggests closure, or tightness, or something like that. English is anyway fond of creating phrasal verbs like "button up" when logically it seems as if the main verb alone might suffice to express the required meaning.

By the w
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