Miller of Dee

English

Etymology

From the traditional English folk song Miller of Dee, in which the eponymous miller sings "I care for nobody, no not I, if nobody cares for me."

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Noun

Millers of Dee (plural Millers of Dee)

1. (idiomatic) Someone who lives independently and unattached to others, especially for selfish reasons.
   • 1852, Samuel Warren, The Experiences of a Barrister, page 209:

     Mr. Wallace, although fortified with a letter bearing the mitred seal of the Bishop the diocese, feels that he is about to come in contact with a great power; an awful something that is not to be trifled with; one of the noblest institutions of our land, who is a very Miller of Dee, and accountable to nobody.

   • 1920, John Galsworthy, Tatterdemalion, →ISBN, page 82:

     He was a regular "Miller of Dee," caring for nobody; and yet he was likeable, that humorous old stoic, who suffered from gall-stone, and bore horrible bouts of pain like a hero.

   • 1992, Claire Rayner, The Strand, →ISBN, page 72:

     "None at all? No parents, no wives, no children of your own?" "Not one, thank God. Miller of Dee, that's me."