A quiet notice V2Melody closes at midnight on , Spanish time.

Closes

A note from Richard

V2Melody will close at midnight on 20 January 2028

This site has been a retirement project in musical poetry: poems chosen with care and set to music, offered freely for as long as it felt right to keep the garden open.

After the death of my mother, the work no longer holds the place it once did in my life. I have gone as far with it as I wish to go. Like a sand mandala, it was made to be completed and then released. I am not attached to its permanence, and I do not believe any of it needs to last beyond the time it was given.

My wife and I are simplifying our days. The server, the monitoring, and the residual obligations that come with keeping a site alive no longer fit the quieter life we want.

From 4 November 2026 I will not be adding new poems or musical poems to the site.

Until midnight on 20 January 2028, Spanish time, everything remains available exactly as it is. That is when my VPS server contract comes to an end, and it will not be renewed. After that, the server will be switched off and the site will disappear.

Thank you to anyone who found a poem, a track, or a quiet moment here.

The pleasure was in the making.

Richard

Home › Glossary › Letter K

Know Which Side One's Bread Is Buttered On

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

To recognize where one's best interests or material advantage lie; a practical idiom in narrative verse for self-interest, shrewdness, and the sometimes cynical calculus of personal advancement in social or political spheres.

Detailed Definition
The saying uses a simple meal to represent practical awareness of dependence and benefit. In poetry, it may describe a courtier flattering power, a worker protecting a livelihood, or a lover choosing comfort over truth. Its earthy image can expose compromise without grand accusation, showing how allegiance often follows the hand that provides the daily bread.
Example
Example in poetry:
The court poet knows which side his bread is buttered on and praises the powerful duke; In the satire, the fox knows which side his bread is buttered on and follows whoever feeds him; The singer knows which side her bread is buttered on, yet her poem quietly mocks the patron; The apprentice quickly learns which side his bread is buttered on in the competitive theater.
Additional Notes
To “know which side one’s bread is buttered on” means to recognize where one’s benefit, security, or support comes from. It may imply practical judgment, loyalty, or self-interest. The phrase is often mildly critical when someone changes allegiance to protect an advantage.
Also Known As
Know Where One's Bread Is Buttered Look After Number One
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