E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Balayer.
Chaeun doit balayer devant sa porte (French), “Let everyone correct his own faults.” The allusion is to a custom, nearly obsolete in large towns, but common still in London and in villages, for each housewife to sweep and keep clean the pavement before her own dwelling.
