English · Idiom Historical

paddle your own canoe

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

Mind your own business. The caution was given by President Lincoln, but it is an older saying and was used by Capt. Marryat (Settlers in Canada, ch. vm) in 1844.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “paddle your own canoe” mean?

Mind your own business. The caution was given by President Lincoln, but it is an older saying and was used by Capt. Marryat (Settlers in Canada, ch. vm) in 1844.

Is “paddle your own canoe” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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