on the button
1. Precisely accurate; exactly right. Her predictions about the company's collapse were completely on the button. Wow, your estimate was right on the button!
2. At the exact time specified. True to his word, the detective arrived at 1:38 PM on the button.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
on the button
exactly right; in exactly the right place; at exactly the right time. That's it! You're right on the button. He got here at one o'clock on the button.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
on the button
Exactly right, precisely, as in
Her review of the book was right on the button, or
We're supposed to be there at six o'clock on the button. This term may come from boxing, where a punch on the
button means "a punch on the chin." [
Colloquial; c. 1900] Also see
on the dot.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
on the button
AMERICANIf you talk about a time or amount being
on the button, you mean that it is exactly that time or amount.
He'd say he'd meet us at 10.00 on the button. We double-counted it and it's 975,000 dollars on the button. Compare with
right on the button.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
on the button
1 punctually. 2 exactly right. informal, chiefly USFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
on the ˈbutton
(informal, especially American English)
1 at exactly the right time or at the exact time mentioned: We arrived at 4 o’clock on the button.
2 exactly right: You’re on the button there!Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
on the button
and on the bean mod. exactly the right time or place; exactly the right amount. He was there on time, right on the button. That’s the correct total. You hit it right on the bean.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
on the button
Exactly; precisely.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.