Elizabeth found that nothing was beneath this great lady’s attention, which could furnish her with an occasion of dictating to others.
– Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 29. In her visit to Rosings, Elizabeth discovers that Lady Catherine de Bourgh meddles a lot in other people’s lives. She likes to "dictate" to other people what to do. Elizabeth makes this observation after Lady Catherine inquiries into Charlotte’s domestic affairs, then proceeds to give her a great deal of advice on the management of them all.