bread and butter | Idiomator

Meaning: (idiomatic)That which iscentralorfundamental, as to one'sbusiness,survival, orincome; astapleorcornerstone.They will do some machining if you ask them, but sheet metal has always been theirbread and butter.1890,N[athan]H[enry]Chamberlain, chapter I, inWhat’s the Matter? or, Our Tariff and Its Taxes, Boston, Mass.: De Wolfe, Fiske & Co.[…],page13:“There’s a big lockout at the foundry.” / “Lockout, what!” cried several. / “Sure as blazes, boys; just when the procession was passin’ I takes a squint at the big foundry door, and there I seen it writ, as clear as sunshine with a hole through it, on a bit o’ paper, that the ould foundry’s shut after Sathurday next, till further notice. Divil a bit less, but I’m shure them’s the very words.” / Silence fell on the crowd in the tobacco smoke. Most of them were foundry-men and had families. Theirbread and butterwere at stake.2017, Samantha X,Back on Top: Confessions of a High-Class Escort‎[1], Hachette,→ISBN:Every escort has at least one or two regular clients; they are ourbread and butter.; (idiomatic)The basicrequirementsofliving, such asfoodandhousing.1897,Annual Report, Volume One‎[2], Ontario Department of Agriculture:What the nation, like the man, earns for itself by the honest labor of its people—when a man exerts himself to anything in an honorable calling—he is said to be earning hisbread and butter, which includes his food and clothes and house-rent and all the rest of the thing [sic] he pays for. Now, if a man does not earn hisbread and butter, he must either have it given to him as a gift, or steal it, as our forefathers nearly all did, honest, good people, too, as they were. ... It is worth while examining as to whether we earn all ourbread and butter... We ought to look after thebread and butteron our farms, and see that we eat the bestbread and butter.; Used other than figuratively or idiomatically:seebread,‎butter.1862,George Borrow,Wild Wales:Thebread-and-butterwere good enough, but the ale poorish.1934,P[amela] L[yndon] Travers, “Laughing Gas”, inMary Poppins(Mary Poppins; 1), London: Gerald Howe Ltd[…],→OCLC,page31:[I]n the centre stood an enormous table laid for tea—four cups and saucers, piles ofbread and butter, crumpets, coconut cakes and a large plum cake with pink icing.

Examples:

EN: Come to give him his bread and butter back.
ES: Vine a regresarle su forma de ganarse la vida.
EN: Oh, well, excuse me, please, you must remember, you the guest of the hotel that's alright, but that's my bread and butter and it's my business.
ES: Bueno, disculpe, por favor, debe recordar, Me parece muy bien que sea huésped del hotel, pero.. me da de comer, es mi negocio.
EN: Come on, get out there and earn your bread and butter.
ES: Vamos, sal y gánate el pan.
EN: - Sardines, bread and butter.
ES: - Sardinas y pan con manteca colorá.
EN: Now that's our bread and butter.
ES: Es lo que nos da de comer.
EN: This is my bread and butter.
ES: Éste es mi trabajo.
EN: You've got a fine mother, you have praying that the bread and butter be snatched out of the mouth of her child.
ES: Buena madre la que tienes rezando para que el pan sea arrancado de la boca de su único hijo.
EN: You're my bread and butter Brad, either by marriage or alimony.
ES: Tú me mantienes como marido o con la pensión.
EN: It meant self-respect and bread and butter and honest work.
ES: Significa nuestra dignidad y nuestro sustento.
EN: Three courses for 25 cents, and all the bread and butter you can eat for nothing!
ES: Tres platos por 25 centavos y pan con mantequilla gratis. Bien.
EN: Philip, watch your bread and butter setups. You were slow last night.
ES: Philip, atento con el servicio de mesas.
EN: 'I take great pleasure in introducing to you' 'your bread and butter. The man who controls the jackpot..' None other than that golden throated orator
ES: Tengo el placer de presentarles a un jefe perfecto, el hombre del dinero y también del corazón abierto, un orador con garganta de oro:
EN: But you're not sick, those gambs of yours are my bread and butter.
ES: Incluso mi padre...
EN: - Bring bread and butter.
ES: - Tráenos pan con mantequilla.
EN: A whole ham, bread and butter.
ES: Un jamón entero, pan y mantequilla.

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