“Isn’t she the cutest thing? Why, she’s as cute as a button.”

I have heard that expression since I was knee high to a grasshopper. People said it to describe:

• Babies
• Children and youth of all ages
• Puppies, kittens, or other animals

Cute as a button usually refers to a small person, animal, or object.

Of course, not all buttons are cute. Neither are all buttons small. However, most are both.

As a child, I spent hours playing with my Granny Childress’s buttons. Since she sewed for others, she always had boxes of buttons.

• Cute buttons
• Shiny buttons
• Tiny buttons
• Huge buttons
• Buttons of every size and shape

Cute as a button refers either to how we act or how we look.

Granny enjoyed my playing with her buttons. They kept me still and quiet while she sewed. For Granny, still and quiet made me cute as a button. When I wore one of her dresses, she said I looked cute as a button.

Actions and appearance don’t always match.

I did not always act cute when I wore one of those cute dresses. When that happened, Granny told me, “Pretty is as pretty does.” She reminded me that how I act is much more important than how I look.

“Even small children are known by their actions” (Proverbs 20:11 NIV).

Thanks to Janna Babak for the suggestion.

Do you have an expression you want explained? If so, please comment below.

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