Crossword clues for busybody
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Busybody \Bus"y*bod`y\ (-b[o^]d`[y^]), n.; pl. Busybodies (-b[o^]d`[i^]z). One who officiously concerns himself with the affairs of others; a meddling person.
And not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies,
speaking things which they ought not.
--1 Tim. v.
13.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
Wiktionary
alt. Someone who interferes with others; one who is nosy, intrusive or meddlesome. n. Someone who interferes with others; one who is nosy, intrusive or meddlesome.
WordNet
n. a person who meddles in the affairs of others [syn: nosy-parker, nosey-parker]
Wikipedia
A busybody, do-gooder, meddler or marplot is someone who meddles in the affairs of others.
An early study of the type was made by the ancient Greek philosopher Theophrastus in his typology, Characters, "In the proffered services of the busybody there is much of the affectation of kind-heartedness, and little efficient aid."
Susanna Centlivre wrote a successful play, The Busie Body, which was first performed in 1709 and has been revived repeatedly since. It is a farce in which Marplot interferes in the romantic affairs of his friends and, despite being well-meaning, frustrates them. The characterisation of Marplot as a busybody whose "chief pleasure is knowing everybody's business" was so popular that they appeared as the title character in a sequel, Marplot. The name is a pun — mar / plot — and passed into the language as an eponym or personification of this type.
In English law, the doctrine of locus standi requires that a plaintiff have some connection with the matter being contested. In two cases in 1957 and 1996, Lord Denning ruled that "The court will not listen to a busybody who is interfering in things which do not concern him..." Similarly, there is a long-standing rule that a person must have an insurable interest in a property or person that they wish to insure.
Busybody (1881–1899), was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who won two British Classic Races in 1884. In a racing career which lasted from September 1883 until May 1884 she ran six times and won five races. As a two-year-old in 1883 she won her first three races including the Middle Park Plate and the Great Challenge Stakes before sustaining her only defeat when conceding weight to the winner Queen Adelaide in the Dewhurst Stakes. As a three-year-old she won the 1000 Guineas over one mile at Newmarket and the Epsom Oaks over one and a half miles at Epsom Downs Racecourse a month later. She was then retired to stud where she became a successful broodmare.
Usage examples of "busybody".
Slanderer, the Busybody, and the Lawmonger, have broken out of their prisons and got free.
The Huntress, the Swaggerer, the Rogue, on the one hand, and on the other, the Slanderer, the Lawmonger and the Busybody - a mixture would make devils reach.
And Tante Lulu, the old busybody, the instigator of this whole mess, was there, too.
That nasty old busybody mother of his needs to keep her nose in her own business.
First Stephen, then Faith Cornwell and every other meddling busybody in Portsmouth, now this man.
Of course, Worthington would have to be sent on holiday again for them to have enough privacy, but Kendrick had the feeling the old busybody would find traveling much too much to his liking to protest being sent away again.
Mozart is over so no old busybody will be sneaking up the steps to the choir room and eavesdropping on private conversations.
Harriet, was a busybody, but she was nice to Avery, and so Carrie put up with her occasionally butting into family business.
Hoag, what does it matter to him, or to busybodies and wagging tongues in Yokohama?
They could ease the passage of a terrified passenger lifter, or ensure that nosy busybodies were made into asteroid sandwich, but he enjoyed the spectacle of seeing something as big and vain as the Time-span negotiating this potentially fatal dance.
Remi foresaw no way to avoid exchanging Net codes with this character, which in turn would lead to a meeting in some dark place, with no neighborhood watch busybodies to interfere.
There were enough busybodies who gave the two men grief about playing checkers on a Sunday.
The busybodies in this town would never stop talking if they could see you now.
The Egyptian meteorologist acted like a busybody, moving from person to person, pointing out small empty lockers for stowing equipment.
While he had been here in this same hospital with the delirious Sub-Lieutenant Napier, some busybody had noticed in his paybook that one of his inoculations was out of date.