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1816 in Proc. Mass. Hist. Soc. (1879) I. 262 The old Corner Store, which, like his father, he had made the centre of all his business operations.

1825 Edinb. Mag. & Literary Misc. Aug. 221/2 He is fond of an intermixture of sociality with business-dealings.

1846 T. B. Thorpe Our Army on Rio Grande xix. 157 The inhabitants..became to rely upon the spontaneous productions of the soil, rather than upon any business investment, for their support.

1885 Bankers' Mag. Dec. 1111 We would suggest a greatly extended use of memo. forms for internal use and external communication to business customers.

1888 A. Morrison New Orleans & New South 53/2 An accomplished and astute merchant, deservedly enjoying the confidence of the business community.

1890 in F. A. Saward Coal Trade 115 (advt.) As indispensable as the financial and credit rating reports, the account books and other necessary paraphernalia of a properly conducted business office.

1898 D. Ostrander Social Crisis iv. 121 It is claimed that this business strategy enabled this great oil company to control ninety-five per cent of the whole refining trade in this country.

1907 Electr. World 1 June 1113/1 They considered it a decided business bringer.

1932 W. Cather Obscure Destinies 23 But his neck, always clean shaved except in the business seasons, was not loose or baggy.

1944 J. H. Bennetts in R. Greenhalgh Pract. Builder xiii. 398/1 Costing abstracts are a simple means of classifying and allocating all business expenses to the actual item of work for which they have been incurred.

1954 P. G. Wodehouse Jeeves & Feudal Spirit i. 7 She was in the middle of a very tricky business deal with the male half of the sketch.

1959 Times 1 June 17/4 Since the war the business aircraft has become as much a part of the American way of life as baseball or Coca-Cola.

1971 Russ. Rev. 30 49 Highly altruistic in the beginning of his business relationship with Tolstoy.

2011 C. Militello Murder at Transit ix. 59 It would give an ‘in’ to a company that was very ruthless in their business approach.