button-down shirt
5
2.5
- noun
- /ˈbʌtən-daʊn ʃɜrt/
:
camisa con cuello abotonado
- He looked sharp in his crisp white button-down shirt for the interview.
I wore just what they were, khakis and a button down shirt.
- I wore just what they were, khakis and a button down shirt.
- I mean he showed up to my office with a nice button down shirt.
- So I just had my computer, my phone, couple T-shirts, couple pairs of pants and a button down shirt and that's it.
- I promise that I will wear a button down shirt and probably be sitting right here when I send you your videos.
- He spoke OK English and wore a white button down shirt so I think he was a college student who wanted some extra spending money.
- Ned has a button down shirt, boots did his hair.
- I was, you know, white button down shirt and khakis and the leading in the worship team.
Examples
-
Dressed in a button-down shirt and tie, Trevor walks up to the pale, utilitarian, box-like structure.
Fiction book (2002) -
He's got a long tweed coat on over beat-up Levis and a clean white button-down shirt.
Fiction book (1990) -
I promise that I will wear a button down shirt and probably be sitting right here when I send you your videos.
-
Giant man always wore button down shirts, a tie, and had a big belly.
-
You definitely need at least some nice pants, a button-down shirt, and a tie.
Blog text (18) -
I had a friend who was a baker and a poet, and he always wore a white button-down shirt.
Blog text (19) -
Dressed in clean khakis and a button-down shirt.
Fiction book (2000) -
Today, Dick wore a white button-down shirt, a red-and-blue regimental-striped tie, and a pair of blue slacks.
Fiction book (1999) -
Then he even helped Shoaib choose what to wear to fit in: jeans, dark button-down shirt, and Adidas sneakers.
Blog text (21) -
Again, he wore the navy blazer, Oxford cloth button-down shirt, khaki slacks, and tasseled oxblood loafers.
Fiction book (1994)
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A piece of clothing for the upper body with sleeves and a collar
How Formal
Surface Forms
Morphology
button-down + shirt
The parts 'button' and 'down' give a clear clue that the shirt involves buttons and a fastening action, so a B1 learner would likely infer it is a shirt that fastens with buttons. However, the specific conventional meaning (that the collar points are fastened down with buttons, not merely that the shirt has buttons down the front) is a specialized usage that may not be predictable without prior exposure, so the transparency is only partial.
Etymology
Button-down shirt may come from polo players who sewed small buttons to keep the collar points down while riding so the collar would not flap. That's why a button-down shirt today means a shirt whose collar fastens with buttons.