buttinsky

English

Alternative forms

• buttinski

Etymology

From butt in (“to interject”) +‎ -sky, humorously modeled after Russian names, early 20th c.

Noun

buttinsky (plural buttinskys or buttinskies)

1. (informal, derisive, Canada, US) One who is prone to butt in, interrupt, or get involved where they are not welcome.

   Synonyms: busybody, backseat driver, kibitzer, meddler

   • 1922, Sinclair Lewis, chapter 20, in Babbitt:

     "Well, all right then! If you think I'm a buttinsky, then I'll just butt in! […] "

   I wish I had never met that nosy buttinsky!

2. (telecommunications) (usually buttinski) A robust portable one-piece telephone instrument with clips, used by technicians and lines staff for testing telephone circuits or making a temporary connection to a telephone line.

See also

• butt in
• encroacher
• gatecrasher
• interloper
• intruder
• marplot
• nosey parker
• peeping tom
• persona non grata