1869 F. J. FURNIVALL in Queen Elizabeth’s Academy (EETS) p. xii. The second
tract.. is printed, not mainly because ‘John Bull loves a Lord’.. but because the question
of Precedence was so important a one in old social arrangements. 1908 Spectator 3 July 9
It is always said that an Englishman loves a lord. It would be more exact to say that he is
in love with lordliness. 1980 M. NICHOLLS Importance of being Oscar (1981) 58 If
pressed, he would probably have admitted that he was no exception to the adage that
‘Everybody Loves a Lord’. societyWhat EVERYBODY says must be truea 1400 Legends of Saints (STS) III. 105 For I fynd suthfastnes [truth], that al men
sais, is nocht les [lies]. c 1475 in Modern Philology (1940) XXXVIII. 118 Hit ys cominly
truye that all men sayth. c 1518 A. BARCLAY tr. Mancinus’ Mirror of Good Manners
F1V It nedes muste be trewe which euery man doth say. 1748 RICHARDSON Clarissa
IV. 74 The most accomplished of women, as every one says; and what every one says
must be true. 1905 A. MACLAREN Gospel according to St. Matthew II. 246 ‘What
everybody says must be true’ is a cowardly proverb. .. What most people say is usually
false. public opinion; truthEVERYBODY’s business is nobody’s businessCf. ARISTOTLE Politics II. i. a matter
common to most men receives least attention.
1611 R. COTGRAVE Dict. French & English s.v. Ouvrage, Euerie bodies worke is
no bodies worke. 1655 I. WALTON Compleat Angler (ed. 2) I. ii. A wise friend of mine
did usually say, That which is every bodies businesse, is no bodies businesse. 1725
DEFOE (title) Every-Body’s Business, is No-Body’s Business;.. exemplified in the pride
of our Woman-Servants. 1914 G. B. SHAW Misalliance 10 ‘The danger of public
business is that it never ends’.. ‘What I say is that everybody’s business is nobody’s
business.’ 1981 D. CLARK Longest Pleasure v. It’s unfair to try to make points by
misquoting. What you should have said is ‘everybody’s business is nobody’s business’,
and that doesn’t fit our present case at all. busybodieseveryone see you can’t PLEASE everyone; everyone SPEAKS well of the bridge which
carries him over; everyone STRETCHES his legs according to the length of his coverlet.
EVERYTHING has an end