Buttons
Oddly, my girlfriend and another friend of mine both suffer from the same rare affliction. As they describe it, it's "not a fear, more like an intense dislike", of buttons.

Prank:

1) In pub, wait for sufferer to go to toilet
2) Place button underneath sufferers glass
3) Watch with glee as sufferer lifts glass, revealing button, and jumps back about four feet
(theweapon never ever bloody anything ever, Mon 17 Dec 2007, 23:36, 5 replies)

This is very cruel...
But imagining it in my head is hilarious!! Clicky!
( vix0r was not Matthew on, Tue 18 Dec 2007, 1:47, closed)

Reminds me of a talk show I saw
A woman had an overpowering fear of pickles for some reason... They play a video of pickles being processed and she's cowering, tearing up... Best was when the talk show host literally chased her with a bowl of pickles.

People can cultivate fears of the oddest things... Wait, sorry--"intense dislikes" of the oddest things.
(AlfishKK, Tue 18 Dec 2007, 5:41, closed)

buttons in the bed
my old boss got married last year, he too has 'an intense dislike' of buttons.

The best man and I filled the honeymoon suite's bed with buttons...cruel...oh yes!

Apparently he was finding shirt buttons for hours (they are white, so you can't see them on white hotel sheets) before he could 'get into bed'
(twiceydrinker hmmm is it pint time?, Tue 18 Dec 2007, 8:16, closed)

I must ask...
How do you manage to get dressed with a fear/dislike of buttons? Is everything zips?
( my_cat_has_no_shoes meh meh meh MEH MEH, Tue 18 Dec 2007, 9:45, closed)

nice one
This could also work with tarantulas.

Or you could put the glass up on a shelf if they are afraid of heights.
( browser still relating boring anecdotes into a void on, Tue 18 Dec 2007, 12:55, closed)