Learn English – What does “push to close” mean

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Can anyone who watched "Jurassic Park" explain me this moment?
Dr. Hammond tells Ellie to push a button which says "push to close" to turn on the power.

a single button is pressed on a control panel with many buttons.

Best Answer

This clip from the movie showing the steps leading up to the moment in the question will help with context : https://youtu.be/PscRUlsvhtI

The system is a power plant and you have to follow a sequence of steps to get it back on-line. First Ellie has to prime the circuit and then Dr. Hammond says "under the words contact position there is a green round button".

If she switches the "contact position" to closed, she will complete the circuit and power can be restored. If the contacts are in the "open" position, current won't flow, similar to a light switch. You turn the light switch "on" but you "close" the circuit so the power can flow to the light.

Not exactly relevant to your question, but there is a reference in a later Jurassic Park movie related to this moment:

Before embarking to Jurassic World, mom Karen (Judy Greer) tells her sons Gray (Ty Simpkins) and Zach (Nick Robinson) to be sure to answer the cellphone when she calls by “pushing the green button.” That’s an homage to the scene in Jurassic Park when John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) tells Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) to restore power to the park by pushing the “round, green button.” (Source)

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