push the panic button

Idioms  

1. Also, press the panic button. Overreact to a situation, as in Don't worry; Jane is always pushing the panic button, but I'm sure the baby's fine. This term originated during World War II, when certain bombers had a bell-warning system so that the crew could bail out if the plane was severely hit. Occasionally a pilot would push the button in error, when there was only minor damage, causing the crew to bail out unnecessarily. By 1950 the expression had been transferred to other kinds of overreaction.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

push the panic button

At that point, in this space, I wrote that it was time to push the panic button.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2018

We played well in both of those games, and I think that was one of the reasons we didn’t push the panic button in the Super Bowl.

From Washington Times ● Feb. 5, 2017

In other words, it’s too early to push the panic button.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 23, 2016

I am not trying to push the panic button here.

From Forbes ● Oct. 15, 2014

Eventually, I’m old enough to know that we’re in the middle of March — not a time to push the panic button.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 17, 2011