Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Idioms 263. The name of the idiom today is mind
your own beeswax. Okay. Let's take a look at the note here. This idiom is another way
of saying mind your own business. This idiom is often considered to be a
euphemism. So you know remember a euphemism that's a nicer way of saying something
else. So mind your own business beeswax is a nicer way of saying mind
your own business. And to be honest that's probably how it
formed or at least that's how they think it formed. Because beeswax sounds a lot
like business. All right. Let's continue. Because mind your own business is
sometimes taken as as rude or offensive. So you have to be careful how you say
mind your own business. Sometimes people are like whoa ! Whoa ! You said that to me . You
know , so but if you say mind your own beeswax,
it adds a little humor to it. It's a little funny. It's not as strong. So
that's why sometimes this, this idiom probably formed. It really is used the
same way as mind your own business, but it doesn't sound quite as harsh or quite
as rude. All right. So let's continue. Just like it
says here. It also adds a little humor to the phrase because like beeswax ? Where
did beeswax come from ? But it almost makes people laugh in a way. The phrase
could be used directly with someone you think is asking questions that you think
are too personal or used as a warning not to interfere in someone else's
business. Okay. Good. Let's continue. The first known
citing of mind your own business ... of mine your own beeswax appears in a 1929
children's book. Okay. And was often used with children and by children. So it may
have caught on that way. Maybe they didn't want to put the offensive term in
the kids book and they changed it to beeswax. And then I think kids started
using it or parents started using it with kids. But it stretched beyond that.
So I mean adults use it, or especially I think women might use it more. As again
you know, trying to be careful not to say the one that somebody might consider to
be more offensive or rude. All right. So let's continue. You can also say you ... you
can also tell someone none of your business.
That's another way of saying mind your own business. All right. It sounds a
little bit better than mind your own business but mind your own beeswax again
would be the one that would add humor to it. All right. Let's look at number one.
Number one is in a/b part. And A says "Are you and your boyfriend intimate yet. ?
Remember if you're saying intimate. Yeah, especially if girls ask each other are
you intimate yet ? It really means like are you having sex yet ? So maybe, maybe
the girl depending upon who asked her, she may say. Yeah. That's that's none of
your beeswax. You know, so maybe she doesn't want to tell
that yet. All right. Number two. I should just tell
that nosy neighbor to mind her own beeswax.
Okay. Yeah. We often say that's one of the ones that you might actually say mind
your own business, if somebody is really nosy. Remember nosy means they're poking
their nose into your business. That's kind of the idea where that came from.
All right. And the last one here. It's not polite to ask the personal finances of
others. You mean other people. You should mind your own beeswax. So this is another
one that's kind of a warning that not to interfere in other people's business or
not to not to ask about things that are too personal from other people. So we
might tell somebody you know, mind your own beeswax. Don't, don't make people feel
uncomfortable by asking questions that, that seemed to be too personal.
Okay. Anyway, I hope you got it . I hope it was clear. Thank you for your time. Bye-bye.