bread and butter 1 n. phr. The usual needs of life; food, shelter, and clothing. Ed earned his bread and butter as a bookkeeper, but added a little jam by working with a dance band on weekends.
bread and butter 2 adj. Thanking someone for entertainment or a nice visit; thank-you. After spending the weekend as a guest in the Jones' home, Alice wrote the Joneses the usual bread-and-butter letter. See: BREAD AND BUTTER LETTER.
bread and butter 3 interj. , informal Spoken to prevent bad luck that you think might result from some action. We'd say "Bread and butter!" when we had passed on opposite sides of a tree.