butter-and-egg man

[ buht-er-uhn-eg ]

noun

, Older Slang.

1. a prosperous businessman from a small town or a farmer who spends his money ostentatiously on visits to a big city.

Word History and Origins

Origin of butter-and-egg man¹

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25

Example Sentences

He said the Dodgers’ solid Adrian Gonzalez was “the butter-and-egg man, he’s been delivering for years.”

From Los Angeles Times

Garner: In the '30s, a "butter-and-egg man" was gangster slang for a guy who ran things — a guy who called the shots and was in a position to make things happen for himself and the people around him.

From Seattle Times

In drab fact, Woody Allen is the son of Martin Konigsberg, a Brooklyn butter-and-egg man.

From Time Magazine Archive

It tells about a Jewish butter-and-egg man who plays "angel" to a play so his daughter may be starred.

From Time Magazine Archive

Why Theatre Tickets Thin the Visitors' Bankroll George H. Babbitt, butter-and-egg man of Tiffin, Ohio, and cousin to the prominent realtor about whom Mr. Sinclair Lewis wrote a book, comes to Manhattan for the Fodder Products Convention.

From Time Magazine Archive