buttonhook

noun

but·​ton·​hook ˈbə-tᵊn-ˌhu̇k 

1

: a hook for drawing small buttons through buttonholes

2

: an offensive play in football in which the pass receiver runs straight downfield and then abruptly cuts back toward the line of scrimmage

buttonhook intransitive verb

Examples of buttonhook in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The route begins in Boerum Hill with a buttonhook into the historical affluence of Brooklyn Heights before doubling back through Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens. —Justin Beal, Harper’s Magazine , 14 Dec. 2022

The approach establishes the stakes: No access to legal abortions for a long time meant death for many women, who resorted to poking corset ribs, buttonhooks, hairpins and knitting needles through the cervix to disrupt unwanted pregnancies. —Elizabeth Rusch, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1