idiomatic - To buttonhole someone


Can you help me find a synonym to this expression meaning to approach someone as if by grasping the person's garment to have his attention.


Could it be used informally to describe boys' attitude to get girls' attention?



Answer



It's usually used in connection with someone with the proverbial bee in the bonnet, or someone with particularly urgent business. "I was buttonholed by a bible-thumper in the street". "She buttonholed him outside his office and demanded a decision". You wouldn't use it to describe a boy trying to get a girl's attention. You might say, "he came on to her" or "he got alongside her" or (in the north of England) "he tried to get his feet under the table".


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