press someone's buttons

English

Verb

to press someone's buttons (third-person singular simple present presses someone's buttons, present participle pressing someone's buttons, simple past and past participle pressed someone's buttons)

1. Alternative form of push someone's buttons
   • 2020 December 2, Andy Byford talks to Paul Clifton, “I enjoy really big challenges...”, in Rail, page 55:

     But I'm pretty persuasive, and I've learned how elected officials think. I know how to press their buttons.

References

• “press someone's buttons”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.