They also discuss listener’s own stories about saying “bread and butter” when companions step around an obstacle that divides them. We also promised words for the experience of noticing a word for the first time and then feeling like you’re seeing it everywhere. Here are a few: diegogarcity and the Recency Illusion. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Bread and Butter Obstacles”
In an earlier episode, we had a call about the expression bread and butter, which people sometimes say when they’re walking together, and an obstruction in their path makes each of them step around it on opposite sides.
And boy, do we get a lot of email about that, Grant.
Michael from Ontario, Canada, wrote to say his own parents used to do this all the time, but with any two things that went together, like bread and butter, pepper and salt, or ham and eggs.
Zev from Peaks Island, Maine, says the version he heard goes like this. When you’re walking down the sidewalk with someone, and you separate yourself from said person by walking between a lamppost and the street, you’re supposed to stop, go back around the correct way, and say bread and butter.
Zev goes on to point out that there’s an example of this version in a 1956 Popeye the Sailor cartoon.
If you’d like to watch this brief cartoon featuring the bread and butter superstition, go to our website. That’s waywordradio.org.
Grant, I love that little cartoon. I was watching it the other day. I was a big Popeye fan growing up. Were you?
I have one trait. I say muskles. I mean muskles sometimes.
And you had the hots for olive oil, I’ll bet.
La la la la la. Very good.
Finally, this from Judy. She’s a librarian at the University of Michigan.
And Judy writes, I just listened to your podcast with a question about bread and butter when I started to watch a very old Twilight Zone episode on the Sci-Fi channel.
It starred William Shatner in his pre-Star Trek self as a man making his way across the wilds of Ohio with his new bride, played by Patricia Breslin.
As they walk down the small town street, they come to a light post. She begins to go on the opposite side of the light post, but he pulls her toward him, saying, bread and butter.
Then in response to her, yes, dear, he says, just trying to save your life.
Judy adds, pretty dang hunky, Shatner. Isn’t that a weird coincidence?
There should be a word for that, Grant, where you’re hearing a word and then you see it again.
Oh, there’s a bunch of those.
I guess there are. We’ll put them on the website.
And if you want to share your observations about language, do-do-do-do, pick up the phone and give us a call at 1-877-929-9673.
Or you can send your crazy synchronicity to us by email to words@waywordradio.org.
