Bread and butter ( superstition ) - wikipedia Bread and butter ( superstition ) This article is about a superstitious charm. For other uses, see Bread and butter. `` 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. Many believe that the person who splits the pole has to say it first, that is wrong The concept derives from the difficulty of separating butter from bread once it has been spread -- buttered bread can not be `` unbuttered ''. Another phrase used in this way is `` salt and pepper ''. References Look up bread - and - butter in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Jump up ^ 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 ^ Jump up to : Richard Webster, The Encyclopedia of Superstitions Jump up ^ Louisiana folklore miscellany, 5 ( 1 ) Jump up ^ Harry Collis, 101 American superstitions Jump up ^ Phillip W. Steele, Ozark tales and superstitions Superstition Main topics Amulet Evil eye Luck Omen Talismans Myth and ritual Lists List of superstitions List of lucky symbols List of bad luck signs Sailors ' superstitions Theatrical superstitions Africa Buda Gris - gris Sampy Sleeping child Americas Ascalapha odorata Carranca Curupira Djucu Fortune cookie I'noGo tied White lighter myth Witch window Asia Superstition in India list Superstition in Pakistan Japanese superstitions Bhoot ( ghost ) Chhaupadi Churel Ghosts in Bengali culture Jackal 's horn Muhurta Navaratna Nazar battu Pichal Peri Puppy pregnancy syndrome Akabeko Kanai Anzen Maneki - neko Okiagari - koboshi Omamori Fan death Agimat Albularyo Barang Kulam Lihi Pagtatawas Pasma Usog Kuman Thong Palad khik Takrut Nang Kwak Curse of 39 Jin Chan Numbers in Chinese culture Russian traditions and superstitions Superstitions of Malaysian Chinese Europe Barbary macaques in Gibraltar Blarney Stone Cimaruta Cornicello Goodman 's Croft In bocca al lupo Kitchen witch Nazar Painted pebbles Rabbit rabbit rabbit Ravens of the Tower of London Spilling water for luck Troll cross Tycho Brahe days Witch post Wolfssegen General 11 : 11 4 ( Four - leaf clover, Tetraphobia ) 7 ( Seventh son of a seventh son ) 8 9 13 ( Friday the 13th, The Thirteen Club, Thirteenth floor, Triskaidekaphobia ) 108 111 666 ( Number of the Beast ) Ace of spades Auspicious wedding date Baseball superstition Bayern - luck Beginner 's luck Black cat Bread and butter Break a leg Chain letter Cooties Cramp - ring Curse Davy Jones ' Locker End - of - the - day betting effect Fear of frogs Fear of ghosts First - foot Flying Dutchman Four Eleven Forty Four Gambler 's conceit Good luck charm Groundhog Day Himmelsbrief Human sacrifice Jinx Klabautermann Knocking on wood Law of contagion Literomancy Lock of hair Maternal impression Miasma theory Mooncalf Need - fire Nelson Numismatic charm Oscar love curse Penny Powder of sympathy Rabbit 's foot Rainmaking The Scottish Play Ship sponsor Shoes on a table Sign of the horns Something old Spilling salt Susto Three on a match Threshold Toi toi toi Wishing well Witch ball Witching hour Related Apotropaic magic Astrology and science Coincidence Debunker Divination Folk religion Fortune - telling Magic and religion Magical thinking Numerology Perceptions of religious imagery in natural phenomena Post hoc ergo propter hoc Traditional medicine Urban legend Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bread_and_butter_(superstition)&oldid=865523533 '' Categories : Luck English - language idioms Talk About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 24 October 2018, at 13 : 05 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: where did the term bread and butter come from
Answer: the difficulty of separating butter from bread once it has been spread – buttered bread cannot be "unbuttered"