buttons

buttons
   From the mid-nineteenth century until the 1930s this was a standard term of address for a bell-boy, or bell-hop, in a hotel. The name derived from the uniform worn by such a person, distinguished by its row of buttons down the front. In modern times the name has become fossilized and is associated in England, at least, with the stock character in the pantomime Cinderella, a pageboy. In The Late Risers, by Bernard Wolfe, there is an ad hoc usage of ‘brass buttons’, used by an American girl to address a policeman.

A dictionary of epithets and terms of address . . 2015.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Buttons — But tons, n. A boy servant, or page, in allusion to the buttons on his livery. [Colloq.] Dickens. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Buttons — (engl., spr. bött ns, »Knospen«), s. Ariocarpus …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • buttons — [but′ nz] n. [Informal, Chiefly Brit.] a bellhop, hotel page, etc …   English World dictionary

  • Buttons — Необходимо проверить качество перевода и привести статью в соответствие со стилистическими правилами Википедии. Вы можете помочь улучшить эту статью, исправив в ней ошибки. Оригинал на английском языке Buttons (song). Эта отметка стоит на статье… …   Википедия

  • buttons — n. bellboy in a hotel, pageboy (British usage) but·ton || bÊŒtn n. switch, push button; young mushroom v. fasten with buttons; be fastened with buttons …   English contemporary dictionary

  • buttons — /ˈbʌtnz / (say butnz) plural noun any of a number of plant species, especially of the family Compositae, with button like flower heads as, billy buttons of the genus Craspedia, and water buttons, Cotula coronopifolia …  

  • buttons — /but nz/, n. (used with a sing. v.) Chiefly Brit. a bellboy or page in a hotel. [1840 50; so called from the many buttons of his uniform] * * * …   Universalium

  • Buttons — noun Brit. informal a nickname for a liveried pageboy, especially in a pantomime. Origin C19: from the rows of buttons on his jacket …   English new terms dictionary

  • BUTTONS — n. colloq. a liveried page boy. Etymology: from the rows of buttons on his jacket …   Useful english dictionary

  • Buttons McBoomBoom — is a cartoon character in the C.O.P.S. (Central Organization of Police Specialists) series from Hasbro which ran from 1988 1989.Character ProfileA character straight out of the Prohibition Era, Buttons McBoomBoom is a cold faced, serious looking… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”