pushing-buttons
/ˈpʊʃ.ɪŋ ˌbʌt.ənz/ IELTSAcademic
idiom
If someone is pushing buttons, they are saying or doing things that strongly annoy another person on purpose. It can also mean they are trying to make someone react emotionally.
- Stop pushing my buttons.
- She knows exactly how to push his buttons.
- He was pushing buttons during the meeting.
Adinary Nuance
Pushing-buttons is more active and deliberate than annoying. It suggests someone is trying to provoke a reaction, not just irritating others by accident. It is also more informal than provoke, so it fits speech and casual writing better. Compare it with trigger: trigger is often used for an emotional reaction, while pushing buttons usually suggests another person is doing it on purpose.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- chọc tức
- Spanish
- provocar
- Chinese
- 故意惹怒
- Japanese
- 怒らせる
- Korean
- 화나게 하다
Etymology
This expression comes from the image of pressing buttons to make a machine react. It became common in modern spoken English in the late 20th century.
Common phrases
push someone's buttonsknow how to push buttonsstop pushing my buttonsbutton-pushing behavior
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is pushing buttons formal or informal?
- It is informal. People use it mostly in speech and casual writing.
- What is the difference between pushing buttons and annoying?
- Annoying means causing irritation. Pushing buttons means doing it on purpose.
- Can I use pushing buttons in business writing?
- Usually no. It sounds too casual for formal business writing.
- Does pushing buttons always mean anger?
- Not always. It can also mean making someone react emotionally or defensively.