Why bright as a button?

Question

When refering to a persons inteligence, are buttons that clever?

Answer 1

"Bright as a button" is the British version of CUTE AS A BUTTON which means "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." From "Listening to America" by Stuart Berg Flexner (Simon and Schuster, New York, 1992.)

"Bright as a button" also makes sense as if you think of a polished brass button. The phrase is really only ever used of small people - you'd say that a child, or maybe a small dog, was as bright as a button, but you'd never say it of a six-foot man. So the image is of a small sparky thing.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Buttons on military uniforms always had to be well polished. The brighter the buttons, the smarter they were - smart/clever connection made - saying created

Answer 3

As bright as a button is used to describe somebody who is mentally alert and quick-witted.
The expression dates back to early military uniforms that had metal buttons, which needed to be kept polished and sparkling.

Answer 4

A military based reference. Buttons and boots were expected to shine. You should be able to see your face in them. Of course the buttons were metal then.

Answer 5

No but you used to polish buttons so that they would be bright. Hence the term as bright as a button.

Answer 6

No it means bright and shining, like a polished brass button

Answer 7

There is also this other phrase : Cute as a button.

Answer 8

because buttons used to be brass and they were polished.

Answer 9

No, but when you shine them up really well they can be extremely bright.