panic button
[ˈpænɪk ˈbʌtən]
nounpl: panic buttons
botão de pânico
1. A button that can be pressed to trigger an alarm or alert in case of emergency
The security guard pressed the panic button when the intruder entered the store.
O segurança pressionou o botão de pânico quando o invasor entrou na loja.
2. A measure or action taken in response to fear or crisis, often without careful consideration
Hitting the panic button by selling all your stocks during a market dip is usually not wise.
Apertar o botão de pânico vendendo todas as suas ações durante uma queda do mercado geralmente não é sábio.
3. An emergency response mechanism in any system
The factory has panic buttons installed throughout the facility for worker safety.
A fábrica tem botões de pânico instalados em toda a instalação para a segurança dos trabalhadores.
The phrase 'panic button' is widely used in both American and Brazilian English, particularly in security, financial, and emergency management contexts. In Brazil, it appears frequently in shopping malls, banks, and corporate security discussions. The idiom 'apertar o botão de pânico' (press the panic button) is used metaphorically to describe hasty, fear-based decision-making, similar to English usage.
NYC Slang
hit the panic button
Related Idioms & Phrases
hit the panic button - to react in panic or take emergency action
press the panic button - to activate an emergency response
don't panic - stay calm and avoid pressing the panic button
panic button solution - a quick fix born from desperation
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