Pushing Buttons

To push [one’s] button can mean to:

purposely annoy or aggravate

to trigger a [desired] response

intentionally needle another person without reason

deliberately erode someone’s patience

calculatedly exploit someone’s weaknesses, or

sexually be attracted to someone.

And then, of course, there’s to deliberately push a button (a switch)—such as certain world leaders have been stating they’ll do if goaded enough, thus suggesting they’re far from bright as a button.  Or to push a button inadvertently—like the individual who pushed the wrong one in Hawaii this past week and created pandemonium.

My buttons are easily pushed, thanks to being overly sensitive and under confident, so criticism (deliberate or otherwise) is not something I take well.  Does that, in turn, cause me to push buttons?  Nope.

There are a vast range of buttons and expressions, including but not limited to:

CTAs or call-to-action icons found on sites/blogs

round discs (usually but not always) on garments for fastening

the guard or blunt tip of a fencing foil

a type of mushroom

campaign/ slogan / police badges

the process of shutting up (button your lips before you say something silly)

reaching a destination at a specifically designated moment (arrived at the party at eight on the button)

closing something tightly (button up the cottage for the winter)

being adorably cute (that kitty was as cute as a button).

Well, bust my buttons (that was a  fun post to write)!