someone's bread and butter
someone's livelihood
routine work to provide an income
1998 - Times - It is not that the smaller deal has disappeared - they remain the bread and butter of this industry.
Related Idioms and Phrases :
step into the breach
take the place of someone who is suddenly unable to do a job or task.
IN military terms a breach is a gap in fortifications made by enemy guns or explosives. In this context, to stand in the breach is to bear the brunt of an attack when other defences or expedients have failed.
the best thing since sliced bread = the greatest thing since sliced bread
a notable new idea, person or thing (used to express real or ironic appreciation) – informal
This phrase alludes to the mid 20th-century advertising promotions for packed, pre-sliced loaves.
bread and circuses
material benefits and entertainment employed by rulers or political parties to keep the masses happy and docile
Bread and circuses is a translation of the Latin phrase partem et circenses which appeared in Juvenal's Satires, and which alludes to the Roman emperors’ organization of grain handouts and gladiatorial games for the populace.
break bread with
share a meal with someone - dated
cast your bread upon the waters
do good without expecting gratitude or immediate reward.
This expression comes from Ecclesiastes 11 : 1 - Cast thy bread upon the waters : for thou shalt find it after many days.
eat the bread of idleness
eat food that you have not worked for
This phrase appears in the description of the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31 : 27 - She... eateth not the bread of idleness.
have your bread buttered on both sides
be in a state of easy prosperity.
know on which side your bread is buttered
know where your advantage lies.
man cannot live by bread alone
people have spiritual as well as physical needs.
This phrase comes from Matthew 4 : 4 (quoting Deuteronomy 8 : 3) where the passage continues but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
take the bread out of people's mouths
deprive people of their livings, especially by competition or unfair working practices.
want your bread buttered on both sides
want more than is practicable or than is reasonable to expect - informal
someone's bread and butter :
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