creeper
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈkɹipɚ/
rhymes: -iːpə(ɹ)
Forms: form: creepers
Etymology: From Middle English crepere, from Old English crēopere, equivalent to creep + -er. Slang usage derived from phrase give the creeps or creep out (distinct from merely one who creeps).
Senses: examples: text: Standing Waters[…] are most unwholesome, putrified, and full of mites, creepers, slimy, muddy, uncleane, corrupt, impure, by reason of the Suns heat, and still standing;
ref: 1638 [1621], Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, page 71:
text: With his presence marked by shots of children’s toys overlaid with ominous music, Z is more of a creeper than a reaper—until a shocking, sudden moment midway through the film.
ref: 2020 May 7, Katie Rife, “If you’re looking to jump in your seat, make a playdate with Z”, in The Onion AV Club, archived from the original on 16 May 2020:
synonyms: crawler
glosses: A person or a thing that crawls or creeps.
glosses: Any creeping animal (such as a serpent), reptile.
synonyms: babygro
creepers
diaper shirt
infant bodysuit
onesie
snapsuit
glosses: A one-piece garment for infants designed to facilitate access to the wearer's diaper.
glosses: A device which allows a small child to safely roam around a room from a seated or standing position.
glosses: A metal plate with spikes, designed to be worn with shoes to prevent slipping.
glosses: A spur-like device strapped to the boot to facilitate climbing.
glosses: A small low iron, or dog, between the andirons.
glosses: An instrument with iron hooks or claws for dredging up items from a well or other water.
glosses: Any device for causing material to move steadily from one part of a machine to another, such as an apron in a carding machine, or an inner spiral in a grain screen.
examples: text: Then the piglet tore loose from the creepers and scurried into the undergrowth.
ref: 1964, William Golding, Lord of the Flies:
synonyms: climber
glosses: Any plant (as ivy or periwinkle) that grows by creeping, especially a climbing plant of the genus Parthenocissus.
glosses: A treecreeper.
glosses: Strophitus undulatus, a freshwater mussel of the eastern United States.
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: A small four-hooked grapnel used to recover objects dropped onto the sea bed.
examples: text: Throwing it in creeper and then getting out to work alongside is strictly forbidden because it is too dangerous if anything goes wrong.
synonyms: creeper gear
creeper shift
glosses: The lowest gear of some tractors or trucks: one with so low a gear ratio that the vehicle creeps along at the speed of a human's slow walk.
examples: text: If my phone rings while I'm on a creeper underneath the car with oil on my hands, well, the caller will just have to leave a voicemail.
text: "Yeah." It was him, alright; if the world's weariest pair of workboots hadn't tipped her off, his world-weary voice certainly would have. "Where were you?"
"My quarters. We've got a full ticket set today, and techs work best without oversight." Neither of these things was untrue, though the curation was more than a little dishonest.
"Maybe yours do." Nascimbeni rolled out, back flat against a neon orange creeper, and sat up with an audible wince. "Mine fuck the dog."
ref: 2022 September 19, HarryBlank, “Beyond Repair”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 15 Sep 2024:
synonyms: word: cradle
english: lie-down type
translation: lie-down type
glosses: A low-profile wheeled platform whereupon one may lie on one's back and gain better access to the roof of a space with very low height (such as the underbody of a vehicle), or a low stool similarly wheeled.
examples: text: Don't go to a nightclub to find a boyfriend. They're all creepers there.
synonyms: creep#Noun
creepazoid#Noun
creepoid#Noun
glosses: A person who creeps people out; a creepy person.
glosses: A kind of shoe, usually with a suede upper and a thick crepe sole, associated with various 20th-century subcultures.
examples: text: May joined Hutton and proceeded to play masterly cricket in which the straight-drive predominated. There was always the possibility that he might be trapped by a creeper, but May watched the ball intently.
ref: 2009, Steven Lynch, Wisden on the Ashes, page 292:
topics: ball-games
cricket
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A ball that travels low, near ground level.
Derived terms: sense: shoe
word: brothel creeper
sense: plant
word: Virginia creeper
sense: other derived terms
word: African spotted creeper
sense: other derived terms
word: anti-creeper
sense: other derived terms
word: bearded creeper
sense: other derived terms
word: bluebell creeper
sense: other derived terms
word: brown creeper
sense: other derived terms
word: canary creeper
sense: other derived terms
word: coral creeper
sense: other derived terms
word: creepered
sense: other derived terms
word: creeperless
sense: other derived terms
word: earthcreeper
sense: other derived terms
word: elephant creeper
sense: other derived terms
word: hedge creeper
sense: other derived terms
word: honeycreeper
sense: other derived terms
word: Indian spotted creeper
sense: other derived terms
word: palmcreeper
sense: other derived terms
word: Rangoon creeper
sense: other derived terms
word: spotted creeper
sense: other derived terms
word: trumpet creeper
sense: other derived terms
word: Virginia creeper sphinx
sense: other derived terms
word: Virginian creeper
sense: other derived terms
word: wallcreeper
sense: other derived terms
word: wintercreeper
sense: other derived terms
word: woodcreeper