THE FIRST WORD

nosy parker or nosey parker

PRONUNCIATION:

(NOH-zee PAHRK-uhr) 

MEANING:

noun: An overly inquisitive person.

ETYMOLOGY:

From nosy + the name Parker. It's not clear who this person was. Earliest documented use: 1890. Also see, quidnunc.

USAGE:

"Rural societies are relatively transparent: the nosy parker can sniff out all the gossip after mass or in the pub."
Fintan o'Toole; Gossip is Dead. Long Live Gossip; The Irish Times (Dublin); Dec 3, 2011.