Meaning
What does No love lost mean?
No love lost is a definition for people who don’t really like each other.
Which simply translates to: There’s nothing for them to actually act nice with each other.
Origin
What's the origin of No love lost?
The expression “no love lost” originated in the 1500’s and until the 1800s it could mean either extreme love or hate.
The phrase first appeared in written form in a pamphlet written by dramatist Cyril Tourneur, titled ‘Laugh and lie downe,’ written in 1605 expressing extreme love.
As for its negative meaning, there is also an early example in ‘Travel of a Twelve-pence,’ written by John Taylor in 1622, where it reads as follows.
“They love me not, which makes ’em quickly spend me. But there’s no great love lost ‘twixt them and mee. We keepe asunder and so best agree.”
However, nowadays the term is used for hatred and ill will exclusively.
Spread & Usage
How did No love lost spread?
The term was frequently used after the 1800s with only its negative meaning, however, it has started to become more popularly researched and uttered in a different context, namely referring to the 1978 song “No Love Lost” by the English punk band Joy Division.
But it was not the only band, who used the phrase as a title of a song; among many others, basketball player Shaquille O’Neal and Yngwie Malmsteen chose “No Love Lost” for their songs.