It's because you're dealing with two distinct usages.

The literal "bee's wax," the substance secreted by hymenoptera, does indeed
date to Elizabethan times.

But the slang "beeswax," meaning business, is an intentional and jocular
malapropism that only dates to the 1930s and is American in origin. This
slang sense has nothing to do with the literal wax, except insofar as the
pronunciation can be deliberately mangled.



-----Original Message-----
From: DSNA@yahoogroups.com [mailto:DSNA@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Scott
Nelson
Sent: Friday, July 03, 2009 9:19 AM
To: DSNA@yahoogroups.com
Cc: bolstar1@...
Subject: [DSNA] Bees Wax


I have a question for anyone who might know why the OED, Random House,
Merriam (dictionary & "Coined by Shakespeare" Merriam) don't list
Shakespeare as having coined the word/phrase "bees-wax" or "mind your own
bees wax." I know that everyone in Elizabethan times knew where wax for
officially sealing various correspondences came from, but coinage being what
is is (the first recorded use of a term/expression) it's puzzling that the
first listing in OED (online) lists the first use in 1676 -- MOXON Print
lett. 12 "You may rub your stone over with little Bees Wax."; Merriam lists
1664, Random lists 1670).
     Yet II Henry VI 4.2.81-84 (1590-91) reads, "Some say the bee stings,
but I say, 'tis the bee's wax: for I did but seal once to a thing, and I was
never mine own man since." I must be not be able to see the Amazon jungle
for the trees.

Scott N.




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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