Bread and butter (superstition)

"Bread and butter" is a superstitious blessing or charm, typically said by young couples or friends walking together when they are forced to separate by an obstacle, such as a pole or another person. By saying the phrase, the bad luck of letting something come between them is thought to be averted.[1] Both walkers must say the phrase, and if they do not do this, then a bitter quarrel is expected to occur.[2][3] The concept derives from the difficulty of separating butter from bread once it has been spread – buttered bread cannot be "unbuttered".[2][4] Another phrase which may be used in this way is "salt and pepper".[5]

References

  1. ^ Martha Warren Beckwith (Jan-Mar 1923), "Signs and Superstitions Collected from American College Girls", The Journal of American Folklore 36 (139): 1–15, JSTOR 535105 
  2. ^ a b Richard Webster, The Encyclopedia of Superstitions 
  3. ^ Louisiana folklore miscellany, 5 
  4. ^ Harry Collis, 101 American superstitions 
  5. ^ Phillip W. Steele, Ozark tales and superstitions