Skip to main content

In Bud, Not Buddy, Steady Eddie says, ". . . that's my bread and butter in there." What does Steady Eddie mean when he says that?

The line spoken by Steady Eddie means that his ability to earn money is in the black case.  With money, he can buy food for himself (bread and butter if desired).


The line is spoken in chapter 13.  The band is getting ready to go out to eat, and they have decided to take Bud with them.  Bud isn't along for just the ride though.  He has to work for his spot among the band members.  Steady Eddie gives Bud one of his first duties.  Carry his saxophone to the car.  Before Bud picks up the instrument case, Eddie reminds Bud to be careful with it.  



"Grab that case over there and put it in the trunk of the Buick out back."


He pointed to a long skinny black suitcase that had a leather handle on top of it and said, "And be careful, that's my bread and butter in there." 



Bud is super confused by the comment, and Bud probably thinks that Eddie has actual bread and butter in the case.  Eddie politely explains that the case holds his instrument.  



I must have looked confused because he told me, "That's my horn, my ax, my saxophone, the thing I make all my money with, so don't get butterfingers and drop it."



As a musician, Steady Eddie gets paid to play music.  Without his instrument, he can't perform.  If he can't perform, he won't get paid.  He needs his instrument to do his job and earn enough money to house and feed himself.  This is especially important considering that the book is taking place during the Great Depression.  Steady Eddie's entire livelihood is in that case.  He needs Bud to be careful with it.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

etymology - Origin of the greeting "Sweet dreams".

Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are the similarities between the relationships of the characters in The Outsiders and Romeo and Juliet?

At first glance, it might appear as if the characters in  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton and  Romeo and Juliet  by William Shakespeare do not have much in common; however, when one isolates the core of the conflicts, it becomes clear that the relationships in both stories are rooted in rivalry and secrecy.  In both  The Outsiders  and  Romeo and Juliet , an overarching theme is rivalry. While   socioeconomic status separates the greasers from the Socs in The Outsiders , last names separates the Montagues from the Capulets, who appear to be relatively equal in terms of socioeconomic status. Due to these rivalries, there are instances of deadly interactions in both stories. In  The Outsiders , Johnny kills Bob (whether his actions were justified or not is debatable). In  Romeo and Juliet , Romeo kills Tybalt and Paris, and Tybalt kills Mercutio. These deaths have profound effects on the main characters. In Ponyboy's case, the Johnny's death and other events in the novel inspire h...
Post a Comment
Read more