"I can't be doing with ..."

thewillow | 16:01 Wed 21st Jul 2004 | Phrases & Sayings

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Where did this expression come from? When did it start?

quotes from a film

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Quizmonster

The idea of 'to do with' in the sense of 'tolerate/put up with' first appears in Jane Austen's 'Emma', published in 1815. I cannot, however, vouch for an earliest date for the form: "I can't be doing with", though that is obviously just a variant.

'To do with' in the sense of 'deal with/relate to' etc...as in 'that has nothing to do with me'...is much older.

thewillow

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Thanks for that. No idea when, from where or how the current usage came about?

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