Mind your own business

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 of others instead of your own, etc.

Contents

Origin

Few modern theologians believe that the phrase "Mind your own business" is a biblical derivation. St.Paul mentions to the church of Thessnolika about this manner of living in his instructions as a way of Christian life (I Thessalonians 4:11)

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 ...And Then There Were None, 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] Russell's short story, ...And Then There Were None, was subsequently incorporated into his 1962 novel The Great Explosion. It is possible that Russell is the inventor of this initialism, which is now used widely throughout the United States.

See also

References

  1. ^ Palmatier, Robert Allen (1995). Speaking of Animals: A Dictionary of Animal Metaphors. Greenwood Press. pp. Google Books Search, p.23. ISBN 0313294909. 
  2. ^ Idiomsite.com, Beeswax
  3. ^ Worldwidewords.org
  4. ^ 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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Look at other dictionaries:

  • mind your own business — This is not your concern • • • Main Entry: ↑mind * * * mind your own business see ↑business • • • Main Entry: ↑mind * * * ˌmind your ˌown ˈbusiness idiom ( …   Useful english dictionary

  • Mind your own business — Mind your own business, auf Deutsch etwa: „Kümmere dich um deine eigenen Angelegenheiten“, ist eine populäre englischsprachige Redewendung. In seinem Science Fiction Roman von 1962, „The Great Explosion“, kürzte Eric Frank Russell „Mind Your Own… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mind your own business! — Mind (your) own business! informal something that you say in order to tell someone not to ask questions or show too much interest in other people s lives. How much did that dress cost you? Mind your own business! I wish he d mind his own business …   New idioms dictionary

  • mind your own business — spoken 1) mind your own business or none of your business spoken used for telling someone rudely that you are not going to tell them about something because it does not affect or involve them He told me to mind my own business. Where do you think …   English dictionary

  • Mind your own business (disambiguation) — Mind your own business is a common English saying. Other uses include: Mind Your Own Business (TSR episode), an episode of the American television sitcom That s So Raven Mind Your Own Business (song) is a song by Hank Williams Mind Your Own… …   Wikipedia

  • Mind Your Own Business (song) — Mind Your Own Business is a 1949 song written and originally performed by Hank Williams. Mind Your Own Business went to number six on the C W Best Seller list where it stayed for two weeks.[1] Cover versions In 1964, Jimmy Dean hit the country… …   Wikipedia

  • mind your own business! (rude) —    Telling someone to mind their own business is a (rude) way of saying that they are too interested in what others are doing, or that they are interfering in something that does not concern them.     Don t tell me what to do just mind your own… …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • mind-your-own-business — /muynd yeuhr ohn biz nis/, n. baby s tears. * * * mind your own busˈiness noun A Mediterranean plant (Helxine soleirolii) of the nettle family, having small, roundish leaves and producing tiny flowers (also called baby s tears) • • • Main Entry:… …   Useful english dictionary

  • mind your own business — do not ask questions about my business    I asked about her plans, and she told me to mind my own business …   English idioms

  • mind your own business — do not be so interested in what other people are doing. If she asks where we re going, tell her to mind her own business …   New idioms dictionary

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