BREADCRUMB

PRONUNCIATION: (BRED-cruhm)

MEANING: noun:
1. A small fragment of bread.
2. One in a series of markers placed as a navigational aid.
3. One of several hints or clues leading to a person, place, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From bread, from Old English bread + crumb, from Old English cruma. Earliest documented use: 1519.

NOTES: In the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel, their parents drop the two siblings off in the forest because they are not able to feed them (if only there had been a strong social safety net). The smart kids drop breadcrumbs along the way so they can trace their steps back and find their way home.
In computing, website design, etc., breadcrumbs help users as a navigation aid and tell them where they are in a program, website, etc.
_____________________________

BREA CRUMB - a small lump of tar washed up on the Spanish coast

DREADCRUMB -a tiny remaining germ of fear after the acute episode has been resolved

BREAD-C RUMBA - that new Latin dance craze