Buttoned-up means reserved and unwilling to show any feeling. Everything fastened, nothing on display.
The image is a coat done up to the throat, and the word transfers it neatly to a personality: a buttoned-up man, a buttoned-up culture where nobody discusses anything. It is a mild criticism, suggesting the feelings exist and are simply not being let out. American usage adds a second sense that is almost the opposite in tone — a buttoned-up plan is thoroughly organised, with every detail settled. Context separates them easily enough, since one describes people and the other describes work.
Practised in A Man Called Ove
First appears in chapter 16 of A Man Called Ove.
Practise this word