adjective 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.
of or relating to basic needs: housing and other bread-and-butter political issues.
basic or everyday; staple; routine.
expressing thanks for hospitality: a bread-and-butter letter.
Origin of bread-and-butter First recorded in 1720–30; adj. use of noun phrase bread and butter
noun bread spread with butter.
a basic means of support; source of livelihood; sustenance: The automobile industry is the bread and butter of many Detroiters.
Show More
Origin of bread and butter First recorded in 1620–30
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for bread-and-butter fiscal ,
industrial ,
commercial ,
monetary ,
budgetary ,
material ,
pecuniary ,
productive ,
profitable ,
remunerative ,
solvent ,
viable ,
mercantile Examples from the Web for bread-and-butter Contemporary Examples of bread-and-butter “I knew Boyfriend would never really have its chance unless it became my bread-and-butter ,” she says.
Get immigration done and the party will be able to compete again on bread-and-butter issues with most of the electorate.
It's easy to see how a governor with a proven track record and a focus on bread-and-butter issues could do well.
Historical Examples of bread-and-butter Then another slice of bread-and-butter and more gooseberries.
He crumpled a piece or two of bread-and-butter and spread crumbs on the cloth.
It was an excellent tea, with shrimps and bread-and-butter , and cake and jam.
"Oh, I think there will be plenty of bread-and-butter ," said the lawyer.
And he said that kings were nuisances, and didn't earn their bread-and-butter .
British Dictionary definitions for bread-and-butter noun (modifier) a means of support or subsistence; livelihood the inheritance was their bread and butter
bread-and-butter providing a basic means of subsistence a bread-and-butter job solid, reliable, or practical a bread-and-butter player expressing gratitude, as for hospitality (esp in the phrase bread-and-butter letter ) Show More
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with bread-and-butter 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]
Show More
2 Means of livelihood, as in John's job is the family's bread and butter . [First half of 1700s]
Show More
3 Ordinary, routine, as in Don't worry about it; this is just a bread and butter assignment . [Second half of 1800s]
Show More
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
