Word: creeper Part of Speech: noun 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). Pronunciation: /ˈkɹipɚ/ 1. A person or a thing that crawls or creeps. Example: 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; Example: 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. 2. Any creeping animal (such as a serpent), reptile. 3. A one-piece garment for infants designed to facilitate access to the wearer's diaper. Labels: in-plural, often 4. A device which allows a small child to safely roam around a room from a seated or standing position. 5. A metal plate with spikes, designed to be worn with shoes to prevent slipping. 6. A spur-like device strapped to the boot to facilitate climbing. 7. A small low iron, or dog, between the andirons. Labels: in-plural 8. An instrument with iron hooks or claws for dredging up items from a well or other water. 9. 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. 10. Any plant (as ivy or periwinkle) that grows by creeping, especially a climbing plant of the genus Parthenocissus. Example: Then the piglet tore loose from the creepers and scurried into the undergrowth. 11. A treecreeper. 12. Strophitus undulatus, a freshwater mussel of the eastern United States. 13. A small four-hooked grapnel used to recover objects dropped onto the sea bed. 14. 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. Example: Throwing it in creeper and then getting out to work alongside is strictly forbidden because it is too dangerous if anything goes wrong. 15. 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. Example: 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. Example: "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." 16. A person who creeps people out; a creepy person. Labels: derogatory, slang Example: Don't go to a nightclub to find a boyfriend. They're all creepers there. 17. A kind of shoe, usually with a suede upper and a thick crepe sole, associated with various 20th-century subcultures. 18. A ball that travels low, near ground level. Example: 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.