# Do you know these three words? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 13, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476 "2011-01-13T16:57:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476/1 "2011-01-13T16:57:28Z")
I thought these were very common words, but from a recent conversation it seems they are not all as common as I thought. 1. nibby 2. nibnose 3. nosey Poll to follow. If you know the words, do you consider them completely interchangeable? ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476/2 "2011-01-13T17:02:14Z")
‘Nosey’ as in (I assume) someone who’s always got their nose in someone else’s business, I’m familiar with. Nibby and nibnose, I’ve never heard before. Could it be regional? ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476/3 "2011-01-13T17:04:23Z")
“Nibby” and “nibnose” are clearly made up words. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476/4 "2011-01-13T17:04:56Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > ‘Nosey’ as in (I assume) someone who’s always got their nose in someone else’s business, I’m familiar with. Nibby and nibnose, I’ve never heard before. Could it be regional? It could be. But if you’re in WV and I’m in SE Ohio, I just don’t know! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476/5 "2011-01-13T17:08:09Z")
Sorry, I never heard of nibby or nibnose. I see from the urban dictionary: > [@](#): > > Mid-west country-folk (see hilljack) slang for nosy or prying. (Gladys Kravitz syndrome from _Bewitched_) And from further googling that \*nibnose \*or _nib nose_ is related. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476/6 "2011-01-13T17:11:16Z")
Nosey is a very common word to me, but I don’t recall ever seeing or hearing the other two before. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476/7 "2011-01-13T17:16:54Z")
In [this column](http://www.word-detective.com/current.html) (scroll down to “None of your beeswax”) this person says it’s a Pittsburghism. I know this area shares a lot of odd dialect features with Pittsburgh, so this might just be another one of them. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476/8 "2011-01-13T18:12:53Z")
If “nosey” is the same as “nosy,” as **norinew** says, I know that one. Otherwise, no. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476/9 "2011-01-13T18:20:50Z")
Do they involve Sir Nose D’Void of Funk? ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476/10 "2011-01-13T20:01:02Z")
“Nosey” (although I would spell it “nosy” is quite familiar. My wife very occasionally uses “nibby”. From her usage, I thought it meant picky, but maybe not. Her mother grew up in Louisville and she has a couple other words from Kentucky. ---
**Author:** ![MissGypsy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@MissGypsy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissGypsy)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476/11 "2011-01-13T20:06:17Z")
I’m familiar with all three, plus the synonym “nibshit.” Grew up in Indiana, so I suspect they’re pretty regional words. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476/12 "2011-01-13T20:17:25Z")
> [@](#): > > I thought these were very common words Really? You hear “nibnose” and “nibby” on a regular basis from non-family members? ---
**Author:** ![Monstera\_deliciosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monstera_deliciosa/32/109_2.png) [@Monstera\_deliciosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstera_deliciosa)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476/13 "2011-01-13T20:34:20Z")
I grew up in the New York City area, and now live in the outer reaches of Chicagoland. I know “nosey.” Never even heard of the others until this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Beniamino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@Beniamino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beniamino)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476/14 "2011-01-13T20:41:20Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > In [this column](http://www.word-detective.com/current.html) (scroll down to “None of your beeswax”) this person says it’s a Pittsburghism. I know this area shares a lot of odd dialect features with Pittsburgh, so this might just be another one of them. 🙂 Pittsburgher here. Here, we say “nebby”, which is probably cognate. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476/15 "2011-01-13T21:07:35Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > In [this column](http://www.word-detective.com/current.html) (scroll down to “None of your beeswax”) this person says it’s a Pittsburghism. I know this area shares a lot of odd dialect features with Pittsburgh, so this might just be another one of them. 🙂 I grew up in western Pennsylvania, about 60 miles from Pittsburgh. I’ve heard all three (actually “nibbynose” instead of “nibnose”) growing up. I recognized all of them immediately. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476/16 "2011-01-13T21:08:22Z")
Born and raised in the South. We have nosy people here, never heard of the other two. ---
**Author:** ![Lucky\_13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucky_13/32/13209_2.png) [@Lucky\_13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky_13)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476/17 "2011-01-13T23:35:04Z")
Is “nosey” an alternate spelling of “nosy?” If not, I don’t know what it means. “Nibby” and “nibnose” sounds like something a character on “iCarly” might say. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476/18 "2011-01-13T23:37:31Z")
By the way, can I tell you how cute it is when you and **Asimovian** turn to the boards to settle minor quibbles between you? Because it’s totally adorable. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476/19 "2011-01-13T23:42:23Z")
I know the word “nosey” from the Nosey Bears (TM, etc) toys from my childhood. If it’s related to the word “nosy” then that would be the only word I recognize on that list. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476/20 "2011-01-14T00:11:32Z")
I also thought ‘nibnose’ meant something meaner than ‘nosey’. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-these-three-words/567476.md?page=2)