<P> "Cupboard love" is an English expression referring to affection that is given purely to gain a reward . </P> <P> The phrase is most often applied to human activity, for example, when a child will say "I love you so much" before or after requesting a treat, for example, an ice cream . Cupboard love is a milder version of conditional love, where love is given solely in response to certain behaviour . The earliest known usage of the term, possibly the first usage, is in the 1756 volume of British court records, The Proceedings at the New Bayley: </P>

Where does the term cupboard love come from