bread and butter fashion
Preserved but no longer current.
One slice upon the other. John and his maid were caught lying bread and butter fashion.--To quarrel with one's bread and butter; to act contrary to one's interest. To know on which side one's bread is buttered; to know one's interest, or what is best for one. It is no bread and butter of mine; I have no business with it; or rather, I won't intermeddle, because I shall get nothing by it.
Nằm chồng lên nhau, biết điều gì tốt nhất cho mình
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Era: ca. 1811 (Georgian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Grose’s Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811 edition, public domain; Project Gutenberg #5402, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “bread and butter fashion” mean?
One slice upon the other. John and his maid were caught lying bread and butter fashion.--To quarrel with one's bread and butter; to act contrary to one's interest. To know on which side one's bread is buttered; to know one's interest, or what is best for one. It is no bread and butter of mine; I have no business with it; or rather, I won't intermeddle, because I shall get nothing by it.
Is “bread and butter fashion” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.