What Does It Mean to “Know Which Side Your Bread is Buttered On?”
To know which side your bread is buttered on means to know what is good for you; to know where your best interests lie; to know where you have an advantage; to know who to please to avoid trouble or to maintain a good situation.
This idiom is frequently misused to mean ‘know what you are doing or have common sense.’ For example, “He was just an old country doctor, but he knew which side his bread was buttered on.”
If you bite the hand that feeds you, then you don’t know which side your bread is buttered on.
Sentence Examples
“My college adviser wanted me to criticize the people running my internship but I know which side my bread is buttered on. They want to give me a job!”
“He doesn’t care about what’s happening to the workers. He knows which side his bread is buttered on and he’s not about to jeopardize his relatively privileged position.”
“His lawyers told him that if he knew which side his bread was buttered on, he would not testify before the grand jury.”
“He wasn’t a great solider but he knew which side his bread was buttered on and followed orders just closely enough to remain under the radar.”
“The junior architect was careful never to contradict the firm’s partners during meetings; he knew which side his bread was buttered on and wanted to stay on their good side.”
“Even though she disagreed with her aunt’s political views, she kept her opinions to herself during the visit because she knew which side her bread was buttered on, and her aunt was paying for her tuition.”
Origin of “Know Which Side Your Bread is Buttered On”
This idiom has been used since the 1500s. The buttered side of the bread is, of course, the good size. We only butter one side so one side is always better than the other, hence the allusion in this idiom.
Similar Idioms and Related Expressions
Know Where One Stands (with someone): to know how someone regards you, feels about you, or perceives you; to understand your position relative to others.
(Don’t) Burn Your Bridges: do not take an irrevocable step that makes it impossible to go back to a previous position, situation, etc. Specifically, it means to behave in such a way as to ruin your relationship with someone.
Don’t Bite the Hand that Feeds You: do not attack, harm, show ingratitude toward, or otherwise turn against someone who is helping you.
Know Your Place: to accept one’s subordinate or inferior position within a society or organization.
Stay in One’s Lane: used to tell someone not wo express opinions or thoughts about matters of which they have little knowledge or experience with.
More “Bread” Idioms
More Idioms With “Know”
- Know Something When You See It
- Know the Drill
- Know Someone From Adam (to Not)
- Better the Devil You Know