button

In modern clothing and fashion design, a button is a small fastener, now most commonly made of plastic but also may be made of metal, wood, or seashell, that joins two pieces of fabric together. In archaeology, a button can be a significant artifact. In the applied arts and in craft, a button can be an example of folk art, studio craft, or even a miniature work of art.

Buttons are most often attached to articles of clothing but can also be used on containers such as wallets and bags. However, buttons may be sewn onto garments and similar items exclusively for purposes of ornamentation. Buttons serving as fasteners work by slipping through a fabric or thread loop or by sliding through a buttonhole. Other types of fastenings include zippers, Velcro, and magnets.

Shank buttons have a hollow protrusion on the back through which thread is sewn to attach the button. Flat or sew-through buttons have holes through which thread is sewn to attach the button. Stud buttons (also push-through buttons or just studs) are composed from an actual button, connected to a second, button-like element by a narrow metal or plastic bar. Snap fasteners (also pressure buttons or press studs) are metal (usually brass) round discs pinched through the fabric.

Covered buttons are fabric-covered forms with a separate back piece that secures the fabric over the knob. Mandarin buttons or frogs are knobs made of intricately knotted strings. Mandarin buttons are a key element in Mandarin dress (Qi Pao and cheongsam 长衫 in Chinese), where they are closed with loops. Worked or cloth buttons are created by embroidering or crocheting tight stitches (usually with linen thread) over a knob or ring called a form.

Buttons are commonly measured in lignes (also called lines and abbreviated L), with 40 lignes equal to 1 inch. For example, some standard sizes of buttons are 16 lignes (10.16 mm, standard button of men's shirts) and 32 lignes (20.32 mm, typical button on suit jackets).

The modern Chinese tunic suit [短上衣] is a style of male attire [服装] originally known in China as the Zhongshan suit (simplified Chinese: 中山装; traditional Chinese: 中山裝; pinyin: Zhōngshān zhuāng) after the republican leader Sun Yat-sen (Sun Zhongshan). Sun Yat-sen introduced the style shortly after the founding of the Republic of China (1912-1949) as a form of national dress with distinct political overtones. The four pockets are said to represent the Four Virtues of propriety, justice, honesty, and shame; and the five buttons the branches of China's government (Executive, Legislative, Judicial, Examination, Control).

The name "Mao suit" comes from Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong's fondness for the style. In the 1960s and 1970s the Mao suit became fashionable among Western European, Australian, and New Zealand socialists and intellectuals.

Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek both wearing Zhongshan suits, in Chongqing 1945:

 

• do up a button = button up = fasten a button
• button nose/eyes = a nose or eyes that are small and round, 如熊的
• as bright as a button = very intelligent and full of energy
• on the button = exactly right, or at exactly the right time
• press/push (all) the right buttons = get what you want by behaving in a clever way
• press/push sb's buttons = make sb angry by doing or saying sth that annoys them
• at/with the push/touch of a button = used to emphasize how easy a machine is to use because it is controlled by pushing a button

六级/考研单词: clothe, vogue, fasten, artefact, folk, studio, miniature, seldom, wallet, sew, garment, ornament, thread, loop, magnet, hollow, compose, brass, pinch, knob, intricate, knot, embroider, stitch, linen, abbreviation, nationwide, shame, legislate, judicial, fond, socialism, intellect