butter-and-eggs

[ buht-er-uhn-egz ]

noun

, (used with a singular or plural verb)

, plural but·ter-and-eggs.

1. any of certain plants whose flowers are of two shades of yellow, as the toadflax, Linaria vulgaris.

butter-and-eggs

noun

1. functioning as singular any of various plants, such as toadflax, the flowers of which are of two shades of yellow

Word History and Origins

Origin of butter-and-eggs¹

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

But that was changing: He pointed to butter-and-eggs, oxeye daisies, bellflowers, tufted vetch, hemp nettle, spotted jewelweed, creeping Charlie, common tansy, orange hawkweed.

From New York Times

“A healthy Adrian Gonzalez is scary for opposing pitchers. He’s been butter-and-eggs for how many years? He’s a consistent at-bat, every time. Him and I in the lineup could be fun.”

From Los Angeles Times

Another flower of the waste places is a pretty little toad flax, or butter-and-eggs.

From Project Gutenberg

I am always sure when I see bouncing-bet, butter-and-eggs, and tawny lilies growing in a tangle together that in their midst may be found an untrodden door-stone, a fallen chimney, or a filled-in well.

From Project Gutenberg

The butter-and-eggs plant, they were well aware, was as free as the clover, or the milk-weed blossoms, or any other of the wild flowers.

From Project Gutenberg