Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Stop talking
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This idiom question asks you to interpret the phrase Button her lip. Idioms often use physical actions as metaphors for mental or social behaviours. Here, the idea of buttoning the lip clearly suggests closing the mouth and not speaking. Your task is to select the option that best captures this figurative meaning in simple English.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
In informal English, to button your lip or button your lips means to keep quiet, to stop talking, or to refuse to reveal a secret. The idiom is based on the image of closing one mouth as securely as a button closing a piece of clothing. The direct opposite would be to talk freely. Thus, among the options, Stop talking is the direct and accurate paraphrase of the idiom.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Picture the literal image of buttoning a lip, which cannot really happen, so it must be metaphorical.Step 2: Recognise that the metaphor suggests closing the mouth firmly and not speaking.Step 3: Match this idea with the most straightforward English phrase Stop talking.Step 4: Confirm that none of the other options relate to silence or secrecy; they all involve communication or enjoyment.Step 5: Therefore, choose Stop talking as the best expression of the idiom meaning.
Verification / Alternative check:
Consider typical uses in conversation: You had better button your lip about this plan means You had better keep quiet about this plan. When a parent says to a child, Button your lip, it is a direct instruction to stop talking or complaining. Replacing button your lip with Tell us more or Invite us too would completely change the meaning. Only Stop talking fits into these contexts as an accurate paraphrase.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Tell us more is the opposite of telling someone to be quiet; it encourages additional information. Invite us too refers to including others in an event and does not relate at all to speech or silence. Enjoy herself describes pleasure or fun, again unrelated to whether someone is talking or not. These options are distractions that test whether you focus on the actual metaphorical image of the idiom.
Common Pitfalls:
Some exam takers may be unfamiliar with the idiom and try to guess based on the word button, perhaps thinking of starting something (like pressing a button). However, the phrase is about a button that shuts something, not a button you press. Remember that button your lip belongs to a family of idioms like zip your lips or keep your mouth shut, all of which mean silence or secrecy.
Final Answer:
The idiom Button her lip means Stop talking, so option B is correct.
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