buttonhole tunes

[ternitamas]

Hello, any idea what "buttonhole tunes" might mean and how it could be translated?
It's from the song "No more I love you's" by Annie Lennox

The context would be:
"I don't find myself bouncing home whistling buttonhole tunes to make me cry"
Ya no me encuentro rebotando hacia casa silbando melodías ...??? ... que me hagan llorar

I am familiar with the meaning of buttonhole used as a noun or a verb, but here it is used as an adjective and I'm confused as to what it adds to the noun "tunes"
Thanks in advance!

 

[V-Rator]

Well, it's been explained in this topic the last year. There's a meaning of the verb 'to buttonhole' which is "
To accost and detain (a person) in conversation by or as if by grasping the person's outer garments" like in the sentence "He was also frequently buttonholed by White House lobbyists . . . who seemed to be permanently assigned to shadow the burly Democrat".

Derivated from this meaning, it could be something like 'catchy' don't you think? So my translation would be "melodías pegadizas".

Hope you find it useful. =D

 

[ternitamas]

Thanks a lot for your info. I was aware of that other use of buttonhole as a verb (to grasp or detain a person in conversation) but honestly I don't quite see the connection with, or how you derive "catchy" from "buttonhole". I'm still confused about the meaning of the expression "buttonhole tunes" Any other interpretations are welcome.

 

[jasminasul]

¿Podría ser un grupo musical? The Buttonholes...

 

[chewriter]

It is possible that a buttonhole tune means a short tune, what we would call a jingle, or even a ringtone nowadays. My great grandfather used to use buttonhole to denote short, diminutive, little things.

 

[ternitamas]

It is possible that a buttonhole tune means a short tune, what we would call a jingle, or even a ringtone nowadays. My great grandfather used to use buttonhole to denote short, diminutive, little things.

Thanks a lot! I kind of instinctively felt it meant something of the sort (taking the context into account and also using the word in a figurative sense) but i was waiting for confirmation from a native speaker. So thanks again!

 

[Lis48]

A buttonhole tune is one of no substance and just a catchy tune that makes you want to listen to it.
It grabs your attention just as you might buttonhole someone at a meeting i.e. grab them by the collar where in the old days there was always a buttonhole for a flower etc.

 

[ternitamas]

A buttonhole tune is one of no substance and just a catchy tune that makes you want to listen to it.
It grabs your attention just as you might buttonhole someone at a meeting i.e. grab them by the collar where in the old days there was always a buttonhole for a flower etc.

That was a very clear explanation, I can finally grasp the relationship between song and buttonhole. That was very very kind of you, thanks!

 

[Aguador]

¿Podrían ser "melodías pegadizas" (en el sentido de que cuando uno está dolido "no se las puede quitar uno de la cabeza"). Lo digo en relación a la canción.

 

[walfrido]

melodías cursis?

 

[Aguador]

Quizá fuera otra opción, dentro de un contexto determinado. Pero, como he dicho antes, en el contexto de la canción me inclino por esa clase de melodías que no puedes quitarte de la cabeza por una u otra razón.