Meaning of Idiom ‘Bread and Butter’
1. A person’s main source of income; the principal way someone makes a living.
2. The main aspects of a person’s job; the essential element of something that makes it work or makes it worthwhile.
3. A way to describe a job that is dull, tedious, and unrewarding, but essential; common or everyday; ordinary or routine.
4. A bread-and-butter letter: a written thanks for someone’s hospitality.
Sentence Examples
“Trucking is my bread and butter but I also restore old furniture.”
“Our cleanser is our bread adn butter product but we also have several other household products related to cleaning.”
“His right hook is his bread-and-butter punch but he also has a mean left jab.”
“Don’t worry,” said the worker to the new guy, “it’s bread and butter work but it gives you lots of time to think.”
“I don’t know what we would do without John. He’s our bread and butter.”
“I’m tired of the same old bread and butter existence, day in and day out.”
“You can’t turn down the bread and butter jobs waiting for something big. You never know when business will dry up completely.”
“The citizens want us to deal with the bread and butter issues that affect their everyday lives, like childcare and the rising costs of healthcare.”
Origin
This idiom came from America toward the end of the 1800s. An old saying is “Don’t quarrel with your bread and butter.” It is based on bread’s basic sustaining importance and the idea that while bread and butter may not be the most exciting food, they are together one of the most important and sustaining foods.
