Bread and butter

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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. In this case, it is spoken to prevent bad luck that might happen as a result of being separated.[2] 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", "Nick of Time" and "Kick the Can".[3] 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.[4]

The phrase was used in the Warner Bros. cartoons A Day at the Zoo (1939) and Hare Trigger (1945). It also turned up in an episode of The Andy Griffith Show in which Andy and Barney had to separate and walk around a utility pole. Ronald Reagan (Drake McHugh) used it with Ann Sheridan (Randy Monaghan) in Kings Row (1942) after Parris Mitchell leaves on the train.

It is also a term used to refer to a primary ability or basic function. For example, an election campaign may say "Our focus is going to be on bread-and-butter issues."

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Word Detective, Evan Morris, October 2, 1997.
  2. ^ Dictionary of American Idioms, Adam Makkai, 1987
  3. ^ Twilight Zone episodes
  4. ^ Remembering Trudy