My great grandmother taught me that “nothing doing” meant something similar to “there’s nothing for it”.
I’m in my late thirties and it was still in common use in India, and perhaps specifically among Anglo Indians? But it meant more like “no chance”.
“Can I go out to the movies with my friends?”
“Nothing doing! You have an exam tomorrow”
Or failure to do something.
“I tried to fix it myself but nothing doing”.
Looney Toons / Merry Melodies also bear out this connotation quite well
I’m in my late thirties and it was still in common use in India, and perhaps specifically among Anglo Indians? But it meant more like “no chance”.
“Can I go out to the movies with my friends?”
“Nothing doing! You have an exam tomorrow”
Or failure to do something.
“I tried to fix it myself but nothing doing”.
Looney Toons / Merry Melodies also bear out this connotation quite well