ENGLISH
REFERENCE

Benjamin Button

idiom
Meaning

To seemingly age in reverse; to appear younger, either through changes in appearance or one's personality and lifestyle.


Origin

first recorded 20th c.

In reference to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (1922), a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who is born old and ages in reverse.

Examples
SIMPLE

He looks like he is pulling a Benjamin Button.

CONTEXTUAL

After changing his diet and style, he looks so much younger that his friends joke he is pulling a Benjamin Button.

COMPLEX

The actor seems to be pulling a Benjamin Button, as his appearance today is remarkably more youthful than it was a decade ago.

Anchors to
Related idioms6entries
  1. 01

    button nose

    A nose with a small size and a relatively flat, round shape, usually considered to be dainty or cute in appearance.

  2. 02

    button one's lip

    To remain silent, especially in order to keep a secret or to avoid saying something inappropriate.

  3. 03

    button pusher

    Someone who pushes someone else's buttons: someone who goads, annoys, provokes, etc.

  4. 04

    care a button

    To care (at all).

  5. 05

    hold by the button

    To detain in conversation to the point of weariness or tedium; to bore while tallking to

  6. 06

    press the panic button

    To start to panic.

© 2026 English Reference