A Dictionary of Proverbs (Oxford Paperback Reference)

chacun à son goût, each to his taste.

1580 LYLY Euphues & his England II. 161 Betweene them it was not determined,

but euery one as he lyketh. a 1640 MIDDLETON et al. Old Law II. ii. Every one to their

liking. But I say An honest man’s worth all. 1760 STERNE Tristram Shandy I. vii. I own I

never could envy Didius in these kinds of fancies of his:—But every man to his own

taste. 1849 BULWER-LYTTON Caxtons III. XVII. i. ‘Sheep are dull things to look at

after a bull-hunt.’.. ‘Every man to his taste in the Bush.’ 1929 E. LINKLATER Poet’s Pub

xxvi. ‘I like fairy tales,’ said the professor. .. ‘Every man to his taste,’ agreed the

landlord. 1986 J. SMITH Tourist Trap xviii. Tried to get me to try one, and our son and

daughter-in-law too. But we wouldn’t do it. I said, ‘“Everybody to their own taste,” said

the old lady as she kissed the cow.’ idiosyncrasy; taste

EVERY man to his trade

With allusion to I CORINTHIANS vii. 20 (AV) Let every man abide in the same calling
wherein he was called. Cf. 1539 R. TAVERNER tr. Erasmus’ Adages E1 Let euerye man
exercise hym selfe in the facultie that he knoweth. 1590–1 SHAKESPEARE Henry VI, Pt. 2
IV. ii. 15 And yet it is said ‘Labour in thy vocation’; which is as much to say as ‘Let the
magistrates be labouring men’; and therefore should we be magistrates.

1597–8 SHAKESPEARE Henry IV, Pt. 1 II. ii. 75 Every man to his business. 1605

MARSTON Dutch Courtesan I. i. Every man must follow his trade, and every woman her

occupation. a 1721 M. PRIOR Dialogues of Dead (1907) 221 Every man to his trade,

Charles, you should have challenged me at long pike or broad sword. 1930 C. BUSH

Murder at Fenwold viii. ‘I dabble in Mathematics but.. I’d rather have your Latinity.’

‘Every man to his trade.’ 1990 ‘C. AIRD’ Body Politic (1991) x. 110 ‘Too early at the

crem [crematorium], of course,’ said Tod, surprised. ‘That’s always bad.’ ‘Yes, I can see

that,’ agreed Sloan. Every man to his own trade. business; trades and skills; work

every see also every CLOUD has a silver lining; every COCK will crow upon his own
dunghill; every DOG has his day; every DOG is allowed one bite; every ELM has its man;
there is an EXCEPTION to every rule; every HERRING must hang by its own gill; every
JACK has his Jill; every LAND has its own law; every PICTURE tells a story; if every man
would SWEEP his own doorstep the city would soon be clean; every TUB must stand on its
own bottom; there are TWO sides to every question.

EVERYBODY loves a lord

1869 F. J. FURNIVALL in Queen Elizabeth’s Academy (EETS) p. xii. The second