# When someone says "Mind your B.I. business", whats the B.I. stand for? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 3, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-says-mind-your-b-i-business-whats-the-b-i-stand-for/205402 "2003-10-03T18:48:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bstillda1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@Bstillda1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bstillda1)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2022, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-says-mind-your-b-i-business-whats-the-b-i-stand-for/205402/21 "2022-11-22T23:20:23Z")
When I was a kid in the 70s growing up in Brooklyn, we used to use the phrase all the time. The original saying was “Mind Your Big Eyed Business”. So often we would simply say B-Eye business. Not the initial “I” but the word eye. Meaning quit 👀 in my direction. Hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2022, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-says-mind-your-b-i-business-whats-the-b-i-stand-for/205402/22 "2022-11-22T23:22:35Z")
nevermind ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2022, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-says-mind-your-b-i-business-whats-the-b-i-stand-for/205402/23 "2022-11-22T23:30:26Z")
So what does the H. stand for in Jesus H. Christ, eh? ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2022, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-says-mind-your-b-i-business-whats-the-b-i-stand-for/205402/24 "2022-11-22T23:48:23Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > “mind your own B. I. business” Not a phrase that I have seen before. It seems to be used by the Black Community perhaps. I found a quote in a Black Feminist Anthology. It is in a rather sad story about muder and possibly rape (I didn’t read it) called _Shoes are Made for Walking._ Page 252. > “But Mom,” said Sharon, > “she can’t wear her school shoes to the dance.” Cere’s reply was > swift. “I would thank you to mind your own B I business and > walk up here with me. I don’t have all day to walk home, you > know. Now come on.” The three girls fell silent immediately, > their eyes momentarily focused on her back, and then they sped > up to flank her. Yvette, still pouting, chose the point most distant from her mother. > **[Smith\_Barbara\_ed\_Home\_Girls\_A\_Black\_Feminist\_Anthology\_1983.pdf](https://monoskop.org/images/6/68/Smith_Barbara_ed_Home_Girls_A_Black_Feminist_Anthology_1983.pdf)** > > 7.31 MB ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-says-mind-your-b-i-business-whats-the-b-i-stand-for/205402/25 "2022-11-23T00:02:57Z")
> [@Bstillda1](#): > > When I was a kid in the 70s growing up in Brooklyn, we used to use the phrase all the time. The original saying was “Mind Your Big Eyed Business”. So often we would simply say B-Eye business. Not the initial “I” but the word eye. Meaning quit 👀 in my direction. Hope this helps. Given that this is the second reference to NY slang, and it sounds totally plausible, I think this is probably the correct answer. > [@stuffusbus](#): > > lol i feel really stupid after saying that and then i spelled business wrong Hello, Guadere! ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-says-mind-your-b-i-business-whats-the-b-i-stand-for/205402/26 "2022-11-23T00:26:01Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > So what does the H. stand for in Jesus H. Christ, eh? Quoth a letter to Cecil, “It stands for Hallmark, because God thought enough to send the very best”. To which Cecil replied, “I’ll make the jokes around here”. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-says-mind-your-b-i-business-whats-the-b-i-stand-for/205402/27 "2022-11-23T00:40:43Z")
The H stands for Harold, as in, “Our Father, who art in heaven, Harold be thy name”. and/or, Haploid. > **[Why do folks say “Jesus H. Christ”?](https://www.straightdope.com/21341213/why-do-folks-say-jesus-h-christ)** ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-says-mind-your-b-i-business-whats-the-b-i-stand-for/205402/28 "2022-11-23T03:43:36Z")
Jesus H. Christ, people, can’t you mind your own beeswax? ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-says-mind-your-b-i-business-whats-the-b-i-stand-for/205402/29 "2022-11-23T16:26:47Z")
Isn’t it Mind your B-I-izness ? There are similar idioms of that era where they spell the start of words. Apologies if this has already been mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2022, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-says-mind-your-b-i-business-whats-the-b-i-stand-for/205402/30 "2022-11-24T20:06:42Z")
We lived in a rural area. We said “mind your own bees wax” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2022, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-says-mind-your-b-i-business-whats-the-b-i-stand-for/205402/31 "2022-11-25T03:29:45Z")
I think that’s pretty ubiquitous (in the US) but I may be wrong. I’m in Chicago and I’ve heard beeswax growing up, mainly from older people. I think of it as an old fogey phrase, but still use it playfully sometimes. The (zombie) OP’s phrase is unknown to me. ---
**Author:** ![Happytree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happytree/32/3555_2.png) [@Happytree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happytree)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2022, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-says-mind-your-b-i-business-whats-the-b-i-stand-for/205402/32 "2022-11-25T04:13:45Z")
My mother always said it “B-I-isness” she is from Long Island. I always assumed it was meant to sound like a failed attempt to spell “business” in a facetious way. Like the character on “In Living Color” who said “It’s a conspiracy, C-O-N-spiracy!” ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2022, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-says-mind-your-b-i-business-whats-the-b-i-stand-for/205402/33 "2022-11-26T04:53:25Z")
Another Bronx native here. It was common back in the 50s and 60s. Usually said in a singsong manner: None of your bee eye business! Emphasis on the bee. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-says-mind-your-b-i-business-whats-the-b-i-stand-for/205402.md?page=1)