bread and butter
n. Means of support; livelihood. The essential sustaining element or elements; the mainstay: "As ever, politics, vulgarity and sentimentality were the bread and butter of the Academy Awards" (David Ansen).
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
bread and butter
- n.
one's livelihood. : It's bread and butter to me. I have to do it.
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Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Idioms & Phrases
bread and butter
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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]
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Means of livelihood, as in John's job is the family's bread and butter. [First half of 1700s]
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Ordinary, routine, as in Don't worry about it; this is just a bread and butter assignment. [Second half of 1800s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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[bred-n-buht-er] 