What it means
A busybody is that nosy person who can't leave other people's business alone. They're always peering over the hedge, asking questions nobody invited, spreading bits of gossip, and tossing in advice like they've been appointed manager of everybody else's life. Doesn't have to mean evil, just way too involved in stuff that isn't theirs.
Usage examples
"Our street’s got a proper busybody, clocking everyone through the net curtains and messaging the group chat when your wheelie bin’s an hour late."
"The neighbourhood watch coordinator of the cul-de-sac in Oxshott is the village busybody par excellence, walks the entire street with her terrier between half past six and half past seven every evening, notes every parcel delivery in a leather notebook, and circulates the weekly summary at the Sunday morning coffee at the church hall."
"My great aunt is the family busybody, she knows the salaries of all the cousins, the dating history of every niece, the medical conditions of every uncle, and the precise amount that each branch contributed to the Christmas hamper of the matriarch in the original Yorkshire household last December."
"Don't tell Sharon yet or the whole estate'll know by tea, she's a proper busybody."
"Every office has one busybody who somehow knows who's off sick, who's quitting, and who cried in the toilets."
Where it comes from
Busybody has been in English since the 1500s. It's built from busy plus body, with body used in the old sense of person. From early on, it meant someone who keeps themselves busy with other people's affairs instead of minding their own, and that little sting has never really left it.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
Your vote counts
Is this real street talk or have we lost the plot? Cast your vote.
