Meaning & use
Buttonhook
Last updated
A small hook-shaped tool used to pull buttons through tight buttonholes, historically common for fastening boots and gloves.
See it in a sentence
The antique dresser drawer held an old ivory-handled buttonhook for high-button shoes.
The receiver ran a sharp buttonhook route, cutting back toward the quarterback for the catch.
A note on using this word
In American football, "buttonhook" also names a pass route where the receiver runs forward and then turns abruptly back, mimicking the tool's hooking motion.
Another way to use it
2. noun
In American football, a pass route in which a receiver runs forward then turns sharply back toward the passer.
He faked deep before running a buttonhook to get open for the short pass.
Make it your own
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