The Collaborative International Dictionary
Bread \Bread\ (br[e^]d), n. [AS. bre['a]d; akin to OFries. br[=a]d, OS. br[=o]d, D. brood, G. brod, brot, Icel. brau[eth], Sw. & Dan. br["o]d. The root is probably that of E. brew. [root]93. See Brew.]
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An article of food made from flour or meal by moistening, kneading, and baking.
Note:
Raised bread is made with yeast, salt, and sometimes a little butter or lard, and is mixed with warm milk or water to form the dough, which, after kneading, is given time to rise before baking.
Cream of tartar bread is raised by the action of an alkaline carbonate or bicarbonate (as saleratus or ammonium bicarbonate) and cream of tartar (acid tartrate of potassium) or some acid.
Unleavened bread is usually mixed with water and salt only.
A["e]rated bread. See under A["e]rated.
Bread and butter (fig.), means of living.
Brown bread, Indian bread, Graham bread, Rye and Indian bread. See Brown bread, under Brown.
Bread tree. See Breadfruit.
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Food; sustenance; support of life, in general.
Give us this day our daily bread.
--Matt. vi. 11
Wiktionary
n. 1 (&lit bread butter English) 2 (context idiomatic English) That which is central or fundamental, as to one's business, survival, or income; a staple or cornerstone.
WordNet
n. the financial means whereby one lives; "each child was expected to pay for their keep"; "he applied to the state for support"; "he could no longer earn his own livelihood" [syn: support, keep, livelihood, living, sustenance]
Wikipedia
"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. Both walkers must say the phrase, and if they do not do this, then a bitter quarrel is expected to occur. The concept derives from the difficulty of separating butter from bread once it has been spread – buttered bread cannot be "unbuttered". Another phrase used in this way is " salt and pepper".
Bread and butter may refer to:
"Bread and Butter" is a 1964 song by The Newbeats. Written by Larry Parks and Jay Turnbow, "Bread and Butter" was the group's first and most popular hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in September 1964 for two weeks, while attaining the same position on Cashbox for one week. The song reached #15 in the United Kingdom and #8 in Australia. It sold over one million copies in the United States, attaining a gold disc.
"Bread and Butter" served as The Newbeats' demo in an effort to obtain a recording contract with Hickory Records. They were then asked to formally record the track for the label.
The opening two-chord piano riff and the lead falsetto singing voice of Larry Henley are notable features of the song.
Soon the song was sampled in the Dickie Goodman novelty song "Presidential Interview (Flying Saucer '64)". "Bread and Butter" was the inspiration for the advertising jingle of Schmidt Baking Company used in the 1970s and 1980s; it went: "I like bread and butter, I like toast and jam, I like Schmidt's Blue Ribbon Bread, It's my favorite brand". Devo covered the tune in 1986 for the soundtrack to the film 9½ Weeks, but it wasn't used in the film itself. A lyrically modified version of the song was used as the theme for the television series Baby Talk. The song features on the soundtrack to the 1998 comedy-drama film, Simon Birch, as well as in the 2004 Will Ferrell comedy, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. "Bread and Butter" was featured in The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars and in the Lizzie McGuire episode "She Said, He Said, She Said".
The song has been featured on numerous compilations, including Billboard Top Rock'n'Roll Hits: 1964 and Classic Rock (Time-Life Music).
Usage examples of "bread and butter".
He never took more than two slices of bread and butter to eat in the pit, so an apple or an orange was a treat to him.
But then, he reflected, not only had he been dreaming of thick bread and butter the day before, he had begun to wonder why he had not taken the chance of rotten shark while it was on offer.
Tarma cocked an inquiring eyebrow and washed down the last bite of bread and butter with a long pull on her mug.
He learned to clean his own shoes and to pass the bread and butter at tea.
But he'd settle for some black bread and butter, which he did have in his track, three hundred meters to the north.
The rest of the meal proceeded in pleasant silence as the mystery dish and the hot bread and butter vanished away like snow in sunshine.
In addition to words and looks, she sometimes gave me a piece of bread and butter.