# Miller of Dee

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/miller-of-dee
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Someone who lives independently and unattached to others, especially for selfish reasons.

## Examples

- He lives like a Miller of Dee and cares for no one.
- You behave like a Miller of Dee when you ignore your friends' problems.
- A Miller of Dee does not care if the rest of the world suffers.
- She acts like a Miller of Dee, ignoring her family to focus only on her own comfort.
- He refuses to help his neighbors with the heavy lifting, preferring to live as a Miller of Dee who owes nothing to anyone.
- The wealthy businessman became a Miller of Dee, spending his fortune on travel while cutting ties with his old community.
- After winning the lottery, he moved to a private island to live like a Miller of Dee, far from any social responsibilities.
- The hermit lived as a true Miller of Dee, content in his isolation and indifferent to the concerns of the village below.

## Origin

From the traditional English folk song Miller of Dee. The eponymous miller expresses a philosophy of solitary self-sufficiency, singing that he cares for nobody, if nobody cares for him. The phrase persists as a reference to this specific state of detached independence.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.