Meanings
- A nosy person.
“Lot of Paul Prys,” grunted Miss Howard.
1920, Agatha Christie, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, London: Pan Books, published 1954, page 1311 more example
This self-gratulation is very natural; but it is not very just. The desire of knowledge is innate in human nature. We are all born more or less of a Paul Pry, and inherit a good dash of the temperament of "our general mother".
1841, Sir Thomas Charles Morgan, Lady Morgan (Sydney), The Book Without a Name, volume 1, page 83
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
Name of the interfering protagonist in John Poole's 1825 comic play of the same name; alliterative, from pry.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Paul Pry. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Paul%20Pry
“Paul Pry.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Paul%20Pry. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Paul Pry,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Paul%20Pry.
Source: Paul Pry on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.