What does “metiche” mean in Mexican Spanish?

When someone pokes into business that isn’t theirs, Mexicans call them a metiche — a nosy busybody. It’s built from meter (“to put, insert”) plus a mocking ending, so a metiche is literally someone who inserts themselves where they don’t belong. Register is informal and lands anywhere from playful teasing (¡Ay, el metiche!) to real annoyance. It works as both noun and adjective: tu tía metiche, “your nosy aunt.”

The matching verb is meterse — to butt in — often spelled out as meterse en lo que no le importa, “to get into what’s none of one’s business.” Metiche is strongly associated with Mexico but is heard across Latin America; a close cousin is entrometido (more neutral) and chismoso (“gossipy”), which stresses spreading talk rather than meddling.