Meaning of Idiom ‘Like Nobody’s Business’
Like nobody’s business means very well; better than most; in an extraordinary way; very much; very fast; energetically; with exceeding intensity; to a great degree or in large amounts.1Spears, Richard A. McGraw-Hill’s Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions. McGraw-Hill, 2007.,2Heacock, Paul. Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms]. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010.,3Ayto, John. [http://amzn.to/2vdGvI7 Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms]. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010.,4Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth M. The Wordsworth Dictionary of Idioms. Ware: Wordsworth, 1995.,5like nobody’s business. (n.d.) Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.. (2012). Retrieved October 12 2024 from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/like-nobodys-business
Anything that can be done can be done ‘like nobody’s business.’ For example, “When I saw her huge boyfriend, I ran out of there like nobody’s business.’ The idiom describes something done with great intensity or proficiency. 6DO.iNK. “‘like Nobody’s Business’ the Origins, History & Usage of an Idiom.” Medium – DO.Ink, Medium, 12 Aug. 2023, medium.com/@readDOiNK/like-nobodys-business-the-origins-history-usage-of-an-idiom-ffce44d38cfa#:~:text=fascinating%20linguistic%20journey.-,Origin,at%20least%20the%2017th%20century.
Sentence Examples
“My little kid can work a computer like nobody’s business. It’s like they are born knowing how to do it.”
“He can run like nobody’s business but you should see him on the long jump!”
“She can pick up languages like nobody’s business. Last count, she was fluent in seven of them.”
“How’s the weather there? It’s storming like nobody’s business here.”
“My mom could bake a pie like nobody’s business but when it came to her fried chicken, not so much!”
“Well, who is Gilligan here, and what does he do?” “Gilligan is actually Freb. Freb can order pizzas like nobody’s business.” — Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000)
“Harris’ girl is making the dude organize his entire wedding two weeks before we deploy. I say the chick’s busting his balls like nobody’s business.” — Battle Los Angeles (2011)
“I’ve tried reaching out, but the kid’s angry. He’s resentful. And he holds a grudge like nobody’s business.” — Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013)
“You say he fixes small engines like nobody’s business?” “He’s a regular whiz. It’s all he’s done since he was a kid.” — Sling Blade (1997)
“Luke played the classics like nobody’s business but when it come to getting jazz, he was a lost boy.” — The Majestic (2001)
“When I was 18 I was building a tank model and a tiny drop of this fell on my leg and it burned and smoked like nobody’s business. Then it fused a piece of my PJs to my leg.” — Laid to Rest (2009)
Origin
The word business, in English, is often used to mean ‘a person’s private concern.’ If something is ‘not your business’ it is not your concern. A familiar phrase is ‘mind your own business.’ In other words, worry about your own affairs or concerns and do not concern yourself with the affairs of others. If something is ‘nobody’s business’ then it is only the concern of one person and not others. For example: “It’s nobody’s business what I do in my free time.” The phrase nobody’s business has been used since at least the 17th century.
It is unclear how nobody’s business evolved into the idiom ‘like nobody’s business,’ but it began to do so during the 1930s.
According to the OED, P.G. Wodehouse first used the idiom in his novel, The Code of the Woosters, in 1938:
“The fount of memory spouting like nobody’s business.”
While many purely speculative theories exist as to the phrase’s creation, the most likely explanation is that ‘like nobody’s business’ was a humorous replacement for something less polite. Imagine a person saying “She could dance like a ….” They intended to say something rude. But, instead, they say ‘like nobody’s business.’
In other words, it’s none of your business what word I would use, but she can dance very well! 7DO.iNK. “‘like Nobody’s Business’ the Origins, History & Usage of an Idiom.” Medium – DO.Ink, Medium, 12 Aug. 2023, medium.com/@readDOiNK/like-nobodys-business-the-origins-history-usage-of-an-idiom-ffce44d38cfa#:~:text=fascinating%20linguistic%20journey.-,Origin,at%20least%20the%2017th%20century.,8Fais, Elizabeth. “Like Nobody’s Business.” Elizabeth Fais, elizabethfais.com/tag/like-nobodys-business/. Accessed 12 Oct. 2024.
