Bread and butter
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- For the phrase as it relates to employment, see Employment
Bread and butter is a superstitious phrase from the 19th and early 20th centuries, typically used by young couples walking together when temporarily separated by an obstacle, such as a pole or another person.
[edit] Origin
The exact origin of the phrase is unknown, but etymologists suspect it dates back at least to the 19th century. The earliest citation listed by the Dictionary of American Regional English "is from The Federal Writers Project Guide to Kansas published in 1939, where the 'bread and butter' ritual is described as a 'ubiquitous' incantation among schoolchildren of the area. If it was ubiquitous in 1939, the ritual is probably much older, possibly dating back to at least the 19th century."[1]
[edit] Use
A couple is walking together, holding hands, and encounter an obstacle. Their hands separate, they say "bread and butter," pass the obstacle, and hold hands again. For example, this is seen several times in a repeated sequence in the 1963 Twilight Zone episode, "The Incredible World of Horace Ford", and is also mentioned in "Walking Distance" and "Kick the Can".[2] More recently, the phrase appeared as the final words of the late Trudy Monk in the "Mr. Monk Meets Dale the Whale" episode of Monk.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ The Word Detective, Evan Morris, October 2, 1997.
- ^ Twilight Zone episodes
- ^ Remembering Trudy
