Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Saying ·208 of 348
"No love lost between them."
They never said that.
What people say
"No love lost between them."
What was actually said
In the 17th century, this phrase meant the opposite of today — that two people loved each other greatly. English idiom — English proverb, c. 1600
Why it stuck
The phrase inverted meaning around the mid-18th century. Early uses (Shakespeare adjacent) meant "great love flowed between them." Modern use means contempt.
The flip is an example of semantic reversal — compare "cleave" (to cling / to split).
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