Comments on: Cute as a Button?

By: Zabimaru

Zabimaru — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:34:36 +0000

I love how everyone has a different explanation and seem so sure of it. “It’s a bird!” “It’s a flower!” “It’s because buttons are shiny!” “It’s because buttons are small!” “It’s because buttons are pretty!”…

I really wish the prostitute-explanation wasn’t a joke though, because I would have loved if that was the origin. Seriously, we need more prostitution in the origin of our phrases.

By: Paige Turner

Paige Turner — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 01:45:46 +0000

I’m pretty sure “Cute as a button” actually means something along the lines of being cute… as a button! Way back when, some buttons were so intricate and therefore very, very expensive. Women would wear them (rich women), and that could possibly be why it’s used to compliment women, but also people admired having odd bobbles and ribbons and stuff all over their clothes (hey, hasn’t changed… much) and these intricate buttons were considered beautiful. They also (along with the bobbles and ribbons) signified wealth and prosperity. Although farmers had buttons as well (well, mostly laced up shirts) no one was going to compare a beautiful women to a farmer’s button, which was probably dirty, and… broken. I’m thinking that there is a long story behind how it came about, and why it’s “cute,” when way back then, “cute” wasn’t used. I’m talking possibly Elizabethan/Edwardian/Victorian times. I’m sure it wasn’t said that way then, but it probably had something close to it, and it was translated to match the modernized and contemporary language which we use today. Also, buttons are small, and everyone knows that small things are cute… as was mentioned.

By: naisioxerloro

naisioxerloro — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 14:42:20 +0000

Hi.
Good design, who make it?

By: Lisa Cook

Lisa Cook — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 18:04:19 +0000

FYI ~
CUTE AS A BUTTON - “cute, charming, attractive, almost always with the connotation of being small, 1868 (from the original 1731 English meaning of ‘acute’ or clever). Cute as a bug’s ear, 1930; cute as a bug in a rug, 1942; cute as a button, 1946. Cute and keen were two of the most overused slang words of the late 1920s and 1930s

By: alice

alice — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 19:31:16 +0000

Big Ed, What is your source for this information? I’ve done some research and come up with nothing. Please let me know if you can.

By: Stevish

Stevish — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 06:32:39 +0000

An interesting story indeed, Ed… but without anything to back that up, it seems pretty far-fetched to me.

By: big ed

big ed — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 06:15:42 +0000

well, I hate to shoot you all down, but…

The origin of cute as a button originally comes from the port city of amsterdam, specifically during the tulip/merchant boom several centuries ago.
A button was a specific type of prostitute, licenced by the city, to perform oral sex on wayfaring sailors in port to “blow their wad” literally and metaphorically speaking.
As it was rude during that time to shout out at random women “Hey I want a blow job!” a code was gradually put in place. A would be merchant marine would walk up to a woman and exclaim “well arent you cute as a button!”. If the woman was a licensed street walker, should would respond with a price, and, usually would lead the would be blowee down an alley, leading to the know defunct phrase “Fat cats dont walk down alleys early.”

So now you know!

By: Tent O Field

Tent O Field — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 22:12:02 +0000

“Bright as a button” was a popular phrase for a long time and could refer to personality or intelligence. “Cute” originally came from “acute” and meant “shrewd, clever, sharp”. Synonyms of “bright” and “cute” overlapped so both words were used.

Shiny buttons produced “bright as a button”. “Bright” meaning “clever” was synonymous with “cute” so “cute as a button” appeared but the shininess was lost. The modern meaning of “cute” is very different from the original so “cute as a button” makes no sense today. It didn’t make much sense originally either :o)

By the way, I hate to point this out, but I think your interest was ‘piqued’ rather than ‘peaked’.

By: Ella Litchfield

Ella Litchfield — Sat, 27 May 2006 18:36:52 +0000

The saying “cute as a button” is usually a compliment for a small child or a small person- female. It comes from the name of the bud of a flower which is called a button. This was from research, maybe right ,maybe wrong.

By: mithithl

mithithl — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 20:29:16 +0000

well, no one asked me, but I do happen to know the origin of the phrase “cute as a button”…it actually has nothing to do with a button as in a button on a shirt. the button quail is a very small gray super, super fluffy squishy looking (or ‘cute’ if you will) bird. people used to say “cute as a button”, meaning “cute as a button quail” b/c the bird was considered so adorable. THAT is where it comes from. get it? thanks, i’m here til thursday. tip your servers.