Literary notes about NOSY (AI summary)
In literature, the term "nosy" is employed both as a descriptor of intrusive or meddlesome behavior and as a playful nickname. Authors use it to characterize characters who exhibit an overly curious nature—often with a negative or humorous tone—as seen when someone is called "nosy" for prying into affairs where they do not belong [1] or when a reporter's inquisitiveness is highlighted [2]. At the same time, "nosy" appears in lighter, more whimsical contexts, lending a lyrical quality in verse—"And she had a little nosy"—or even becoming part of a moniker like "Nosy Parker" or "Bull Nosy" [3, 4]. This versatility illustrates how the word functions both as a commentary on social behavior and as a charming, sometimes ironic, identifier within a narrative.
- You used to be a much nicer pain in the ass before you became so nosy.
— from Terminal Compromise by Winn Schwartau - He knew that Jerry was entirely trustworthy, but his friend was also a nosy reporter who would try to pump the girl.
— from The Electronic Mind Reader: A Rick Brant Science-Adventure Story by Harold L. (Harold Leland) Goodwin - "But Nosy Parker is what I call him," she said.
— from Something New by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse - Thereat he turned pale, as he had done before Bull Nosy, yet sent for none to slay me, but only bade me back to my keepers.
— from The Well at the World's End: A Tale by William Morris
