It was coined almost 200 years ago (I think perhaps by David Ricardo), to describe the pre-industrial land-tenure system in Britain, wherein peasants would destructively graze their livestock on commonly held land.
It used to be illegal for livestock to graze on public land.
mnli hypothesis: It used to be illegal for livestock to graze on public land. premise: It was coined almost 200 years ago (I think perhaps by David Ricardo), to describe the pre-industrial land-tenure system in Britain, wherein peasants would destructively graze their livestock on commonly held land.