Meaning of know on which side one's bread is buttered | Babel Free

Definitions

Forma verbal. Verb. [C2]

Examples

““Hush!” said Tunstall, “remember our master.” / “Pshaw!” answered his mercurial companion; “he knows on which side his bread is buttered, and I warrant you has not lived so long among Englishmen, and by Englishmen, to quarrel with us for bearing an English mind.[…]””

“There was a speech by Ellena, which she delivered from before a backdrop on which were idealized portraits of such famous persons as Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi, Golda Mier and Margaret Thatcher. There was also one of a lady attired as an ancient Greek warrior, presumably the mythical Queen Hippolyte. This one looked remarkably like Ellena herself. (“I suppose that the artist knew on which side her bread is buttered,” sneered Fenella.)”

“Knowing on which side their bread is buttered, planners would reject the notion that slum dwellers are more qualified than trained specialists to work out the answers to their problems or that a composite of their localized plans would be better than any “rationalized” bureaucratic solution.”

“I don’t live in Bend for a reason, but Bend is a town that knows on which side its bread is buttered, and attracting live music is clearly part of that vision.”

CEFR level