bread and butter

¹ American  

noun

1. bread spread with butter.

2. a basic means of support; source of livelihood; sustenance.

   The automobile industry is the bread and butter of many Detroiters.

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bread-and-butter ² American  

[bred-n-buht-er] / ˈbrɛd nˈbʌt ər /

adjective

1. providing a livelihood or basic source of income; supplying the basic needs of life.

   a bread-and-butter job; the agency's bread-and-butter account.

2. of or relating to basic needs.

   housing and other bread-and-butter political issues.

3. basic or everyday; staple; routine.

4. expressing thanks for hospitality.

   a bread-and-butter letter.

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bread and butter British  

noun

1. (modifier) a means of support or subsistence; livelihood

   the inheritance was their bread and butter

2. 1. providing a basic means of subsistence

      a bread-and-butter job

   2. solid, reliable, or practical

      a bread-and-butter player

   3. expressing gratitude, as for hospitality (esp in the phrase bread-and-butter letter )

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bread and butter Idioms  

1. The essential, sustaining element, as in The quality of the schools is the bread and butter of town property values . This idiom alludes to a basic food, bread spread with butter. [c. 1700]

2. Means of livelihood, as in John's job is the family's bread and butter . [First half of 1700s]

3. Ordinary, routine, as in Don't worry about it; this is just a bread and butter assignment . [Second half of 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of bread and butter¹

First recorded in 1620–30

Origin of bread-and-butter²

First recorded in 1720–30; adj. use of noun phrase bread and butter

Example Sentences

In the core public-markets arm, BlackRock’s iShares exchange-traded funds remain its bread and butter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Roach acknowledges the market’s caution, given large language models are now threatening to do what has been the bread and butter of those companies.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 25, 2026

“History shows it’s bread and butter issues that typically work best,” he said.

From Salon • Feb. 23, 2026

But messages about the values of imparting empathy are part of the bread and butter of “Star Trek” and she welcomed that.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2026

She explained—not too patiently—that a B & B letter is a bread and butter letter you write to people to thank them for having you as their houseguest.

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg