buttonhole

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: but=ton=hole

CIDE DICTIONARY

buttonhole, n. 

 The hole or loop in which a button is caught.  [1913 Webster]

buttonhole, v. t. 

 To hold at the button or buttonhole; to detain in conversation to weariness; to bore; as, he buttonholed me a quarter of an hour.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

buttonhole, n. & v.
--n.
1 a slit made in a garment to receive a button for fastening.
2 a flower or spray worn in a lapel buttonhole.
--v.tr.
1 colloq. accost and detain (a reluctant listener).
2 make buttonholes in.

Idiom

buttonhole stitch a looped stitch used for making buttonholes.

THESAURUS

buttonhole

accost, address, apostrophize, appeal to, apply pressure, approach, beset, besiege, bespeak, blandish, bore, bore stiff, bore to death, bore to distraction, bore to tears, boutonniere, bug, cajole, call to, coax, corner, corsage, detain, dun, exert pressure, greet, hail, halloo, importune, invoke, nag, nag at, pester, plague, ply, press, pressure, push, salute, send to sleep, speak, speak fair, speak to, take aside, talk to, tease, urge, waylay, wheedle, work on

ROGET THESAURUS

buttonhole

Weariness

VB weary, tire, bore, bore to death, weary to death, tire to death, bore out of one's skull, bore out of one's life, weary out of one's life, tire out of one's life, bore out of all patience, weary out of all patience, wear out one's patience, tire out of all patience, set to sleep, send to sleep, buttonhole, pall, sicken, nauseate, disgust, harp on the same string, drag its slow length along, drag its weary length along, never hear the last of, be tired of, be sick of, be tired with, yawn, die with ennui, MEGO, my eyes glaze over.