(as) bright as a button
Especially intelligent, astute, or perceptive. Ted's as bright as a button, so he'll find a solution to this problem. Of course Ellen is our valedictorian—she's bright as a button. My granddad may be old and cantankerous, but he's still bright as a button. You can't get anything past him.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
*bright as a button
intelligent; quick-minded. (Usually used to describe children. *Also: as ~.) Why, Mrs. Green, your little girl is as bright as a button. You can't fool Jane. She may be only six years old, but she's bright as a button.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
bright as a button
mainly BRITISHIf someone is as bright as a button, they are intelligent, full of energy, or very cheerful. She was as bright as a button. If it had been her running the company, it might still be OK. She was in at lunch-time, bright as a button, chatting to that gentleman.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
as bright as a button
intelligently alert and lively. informal There is a play here on bright in its Old English sense of ‘shiny’ (like a polished metal button) and bright in its transferred sense of ‘quick-witted’, found since the mid 18th century.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
(as) bright as a ˈbutton
(British English) clever and lively: That child’s as bright as a button! OPPOSITE: (as) thick as two short planksFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
bright as a button/new penny
Of quick intelligence. The expression links the sparkle of a good mind with the shininess of a brass button or new coin. The adjective bright has been used in the sense of “quick-witted” and “intelligent” since about 1700.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer