button one's lip

English

Alternative forms

• button up one's lip

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Verb

button one's lip (third-person singular simple present buttons one's lip, present participle buttoning one's lip, simple past and past participle buttoned one's lip)

1. (idiomatic) To remain silent, especially in order to keep a secret or to avoid saying something inappropriate.
   • 1910, Jim Nasium, "The Baseball League on the Styx," The Sunday Press (Pittsburgh), 15 May, p. 2 (retrieved 19 July 2010):

     "Yes," put in Solomon. "I've been tipped off to this guy Mars, and you'd better tell him to button up his lip and not start anything."

   • 1971 October 13, Ted Blackman, “Green as team player too”, in Montreal Gazette, retrieved 19 July 2010, page 13:

     "We advised John not to talk, to button his lip, but he talked anyway."

   • 2010 June 1, Larry Woody, “Busch Better Heed Burton”, in FOXNews.com, retrieved 19 July 2010:

     Busch wisely buttoned his lip and didn't say anything else.

Synonyms

• bite one's lip
• zip one's lip

See also

• button it