button up

button up idiom
  1. Close securely, fasten, as in The house was all buttoned up, or Button up your coat—it's very cold. [Late 1500s]
  2. Also, button one's lip. Hold one's tongue, keep quiet. For example, Please button your lip about the surprise. A variant of this usage, button one's mouth, dates from the 17th century. [Mid-1800s]
  3. Finish successfully, as in I've got this report all buttoned up. [c. 1940]

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.

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