Keep from meddling, pay attention to one's own affairs, as in If she would only mind her own business, there would be a lot fewer family quarrels. Already described as a wise course by the ancients (Seneca had it as Semper meum negotium ago, "I always mind my own business"), this precept has been repeated in English since about 1600.
Mind your own business
| Idioms: mind one's own business |
| 5min Related Video: Mind your own business |
| Wikipedia: Mind your own business |
For other uses, see Mind your own business (disambiguation).
"Mind your own business" is a common English saying which asks for a respect of other people's privacy. It can mean that a person should stop meddling in what does not concern that person, attend personal affairs instead of those of others, etc.
Contents |
20th century
In the 1930s, a slang version rendered the saying as "Mind your own beeswax". It is meant to soften the force of the retort.[1] Folk etymology has it that this idiom was used in the colonial period when women would sit by the fireplace making wax candles together,[2] though there are many other theories.[3]
In the classic science fiction story The Great Explosion, Eric Frank Russell shortened "Mind Your Own Business" to "MYOB" or "Myob!", which was used as a form of civil disobedience on the planet of the libertarian Gands.[4] It is possible that Russell is the inventor of this initialism, which is now used widely throughout the United States.
See also
References
- ^ Palmatier, Robert Allen (1995). Speaking of Animals: A Dictionary of Animal Metaphors. Greenwood Press. pp. Google Books Search, p.23. ISBN 0313294909.
- ^ Idiomsite.com, Beeswax
- ^ Worldwidewords.org
- ^ Abelard.org
External links
- Idiomsite.com, Origins of common sayings - Beeswax
- Abelard.org, And Then There Were None (relevant excerpt of The Great Explosion)
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| Hank Williams, Jr. Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 (1989 Album by Hank Williams, Jr.) |
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 | Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Mind your own business". Read more |
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Mentioned in
- MYOB (technology)
- pry
- Hank Williams, Jr. Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 (1989 Album by Hank Williams, Jr.)
- meddle
- what of it? (Idiom)
- Episode 269: Dark Shadows (TV Episode) (1967 Horror TV Episode)
- Montana Cafe (1986 Album by Hank Williams, Jr.)
- This Country's Rockin' (1990 Album by Various Artists)
- Billboard Top Country Hits: 1986 (1986 Album by Various Artists)
- Louisiana Hayride, Vol. 2 (2000 Album by Various Artists)
- Best of Hank Williams, Vol. 1 (2002 Album by Hank Williams)
- The Lotus Eater: I Spy (TV Episode) (1967 Action TV Episode)
- Help, Help, Don't Save Me: Bewitched (TV Episode) (1964 Comedy TV Episode)
- Mind Your Own Business: The Bob Newhart Show (TV Episode) (1974 Comedy TV Episode)
