BREAD AND BUTTER

{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./