creepn.
/kriːp/, U.S. /krip/ 1. † b. Hawking. See quot. 1486. Obsolete.
a. The action of creeping; slow or stealthy motion. (literal and figurative.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > rate of motion > slowness > [noun] > slow movement or progress
dragglinga1599
slaggering1622
drag1813
creep1818
dawdling1819
loitering1822
draggle1894
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > stealthy action, stealth > stealthy movement > [noun]
stalkingc1000
creeping1565
hedge-creeping1579
stealing1581
steal1590
stealth1600
insinuation1608
slinking1611
sneakinga1657
prowl1803
creep1818
sneak1819
lurk1829
slink1853
pussyfooting1956
1818 J. Keats Endymion i. 35 Until a gentle creep, A careful moving caught my waking ears.
1842 W. Wordsworth Lyre! though such Power Or watch..The current as it plays In flashing leaps and stealthy creeps Adown a rocky maze.
1862 G. W. Thornbury Life J. M. W. Turner I. 264 There is a fine sense of terror and danger and adventure in Jason's stealthy creep.
ΚΠ
1486 Bk. St. Albans D j b Yowre hawke fleeth at or to the Creepe when ye haue yowre hawke on yowre fyst and crepe softely to the Ryuer or to the pit, and stelith softeli to the brynke therof, and then cry huff, and bi that meane Nym a fowle.
c. †(a) A creeping fellow; a sneak. dialect. Obsolete. (b) slang (originally U.S.). A despicable, worthless, stupid, or tiresome person. Cf. creeper n. 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > wrongdoing > sneakiness > sneaky person > [noun]
snuch1579
sheep-biter?1589
sneaker1598
roundabout1605
sneaka1643
sneaks1653
creepa1876
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > condition of being held in contempt > [noun] > state or quality of being contemptible > contemptible person
wormc825
wretchOE
thingOE
hinderlingc1175
harlot?c1225
mixa1300
villain1303
whelpc1330
wonnera1340
bismera1400
vilec1400
beasta1425
creaturec1450
dog bolt1465
fouling?a1475
drivel1478
shit1508
marmoset1523
mammeta1529
pilgarlica1529
pode1528
slave1537
slim1548
skit-brains?1553
grasshopper1556
scavenger1563
old boss1566
rag1566
shrub1566
ketterela1572
shake-rag1571
skybala1572
mumpsimus1573
smatchetc1582
squib1586
scabship1589
vassal1589
baboon1592
Gibraltar1593
polecat1593
mushroom1594
nodc1595
cittern-head1598
nit1598
stockfish1598
cum-twang1599
dish-wash1599
pettitoe1599
mustard-token1600
viliaco1600
cargo1602
stump1602
snotty-nose1604
sprat1605
wormling1605
brock1607
dogfly?1611
shag-rag1611
shack-rag1612
thrum1612
rabbita1616
fitchock1616
unworthy1616
baseling1618
shag1620
glow-worm1624
snip1633
the son of a worm1633
grousea1637
shab1637
wormship1648
muckworm1649
whiffler1659
prig1679
rotten egg1686
prigster1688
begged fool1693
hang-dog1693
bugger1694
reptile1697
squinny1716
snool1718
ramscallion1734
footer1748
jackass1756
hallion1789
skite1790
rattlesnake1791
snot1809
mudworm1814
skunk1816
stirrah1816
spalpeen1817
nyaff1825
skin1825
weed1825
tiger1827
beggar1834
despicability1837
squirt1844
prawn1845
shake1846
white mouse1846
scurf1851
sweep1853
cockroach1856
bummer1857
medlar1859
cunt1860
shuck1862
missing link1863
schweinhund1871
creepa1876
bum1882
trashbag1886
tinhorn1887
snot-rag1888
rodent1889
whelpling1889
pie eatera1891
mess1891
schmuck1892
fucker1893
cheapskate1894
cocksucker1894
gutter-bird1896
perisher1896
skate1896
schmendrick1897
nyamps1900
ullage1901
fink1903
onion1904
punk1904
shitepoke1905
tinhorn sport1906
streeler1907
zob1911
stink1916
motherfucker1918
Oscar1918
shitass1918
shit-face1923
tripe-hound1923
gimp1924
garbage can1925
twerp1925
jughead1926
mong1926
fuck?1927
arsehole1928
dirty dog1928
gazook1928
muzzler1928
roach1929
shite1929
mook1930
lug1931
slug1931
woodchuck1931
crud1932
dip1932
bohunkus1933
lint-head1933
Nimrod1933
warb1933
fuck-piga1935
owl-hoot1934
pissant1935
poot1935
shmegegge1937
motheree1938
motorcycle1938
squiff1939
pendejo1940
snotnose1941
jerkface1942
slag1943
yuck1943
fuckface?1945
fuckhead?1945
shit-head1945
shite-hawk1948
schlub1950
asswipe1953
mother1955
weenie1956
hard-on1958
rass hole1959
schmucko1959
bitch ass1961
effer1961
lamer1961
arsewipe1962
asshole1962
butthole1962
cock1962
dipshit1963
motherfuck1964
dork1965
bumhole1967
mofo1967
tosspot1967
crudball1968
dipstick1968
douche1968
frickface1968
schlong1968
fuckwit1969
rassclaat1969
ass1970
wank1970
fecker1971
wanker1971
butt-fucker1972
slimeball1972
bloodclaat1973
fuckwad1974
mutha1974
suck1974
cocksuck1977
tosser1977
plank1981
sleazebag1981
spastic1981
dweeb1982
bumboclaat1983
dickwad1983
scuzzbag1983
sleazeball1983
butt-face1984
dickweed1984
saddie1985
butt plug1986
jerkweed1988
dick-sucker1989
microcephalic1989
wankstain1990
sadster1992
buttmunch1993
fanny1995
jackhole1996
fassyhole1997
fannybaws2000
fassy2002
society > morality > moral evil > lack of principle or integrity > [noun] > underhandedness or sneakiness > person
snuch1579
sheep-biter?1589
sneaker1598
sneaka1643
sneaks1653
creepa1876
a1876 E. Leigh Gloss. Words Dial. Cheshire (1877) 52 A Creep.., a creeping fellow.
1886 B. Brierley Cast upon World xviii. 218 His whole get-up so suggestive of what in those days was called a ‘creep’, that I could not help regarding him with additional loathing.
1935 Jrnl. Abnormal Psychol. 30 362 Creep, a worthless person.
1938 New Republic 7 Sept. 129/1 The man..is nothing but a creep.
1951 S. J. Perelman in New Yorker 3 Mar. 28/3 What kind of an old creep'd get a charge out of this stuff?
1954 P. G. Wodehouse Jeeves & Feudal Spirit i. 7 They were..creeps of the first water and would bore the pants off me.
1958 Spectator 9 May 588/3 A pathetic fat city creep comes making eyes at the daughter.
1960 H. Pinter Room 117 I get these creeps come in, smelling up my room.
1966 Punch 16 Feb. 241 ‘Maurice Thew School of Body-building’? That'll be that phoney creep upstairs.
d. A stealthy robber; a sneak thief; esp. one who works in a brothel. Criminals' slang (originally U.S.). Cf. creep joint n. at Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > [noun] > who works by stealth
thief688
hole-creeper1462
stalker?a1513
sneak1785
creep1914
snooper1924
1914 L. E. Jackson & C. R. Hellyer Vocab. Criminal Slang
1928 M. C. Sharpe Chicago May (1929) xxxi. 255 I have been a badger, pay-off, note-layer, creep, panel, and blackmailer.
1960 Observer 25 Dec. 7/6 A creep is a highly expert thief... He is so quiet that he can move about a house for hours without waking anybody.
e. Stealthy robbery; petty thieving; esp. in a brothel. So at or on the creep: engaged in stealthy robbery. Also attributive. Criminals' slang (originally U.S.).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > [noun] > in sneaking manner
manticulation1623
sneak1699
hole-creeping1852
creep1928
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > by or in manner of theft [phrase] > engaged in theft
on the game1839
upon (also on) the town1842
at or on the creep1928
on the knock-off1936
1928 M. C. Sharpe Chicago May (1929) xxxi. 257 She may decide to shift to the creep or panel game.
1931 C. Rimington Bon Voyage Bk. 89/2 At the creep, picking lady's skirt pocket while walking.
1938 F. D. Sharpe Sharpe of Flying Squad i. 15 Billy's at ‘the Creep’ means that Billy earns his living stealing by stealth from tills whilst a shop is momentarily unwatched, or from a warehouse.
1958 F. Norman Bang to Rights iii. 121 A geezer who got captured while he was out on the creep, he used to go out and creep about all over the place trying to find things to knock off. One of his favourite stokes was creep offices [sic] in the city..during the lunch hour.
2. A sensation as of things creeping over one's body; a nervous shrinking or shiver of dread or horror. Usually in plural, the creeps or cold creeps (colloquial).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > touch and feeling > sensation of something creeping on skin > [noun]
pricklea1400
creeping1799
the creeps1849
the mind > emotion > fear > physical symptoms of fear > [noun] > shudder or shuddering > shiver or the creeps
creeping1799
creep1849
1849 C. Dickens David Copperfield (1850) iii. 29 She was constantly complaining of the cold, and of its occasioning a visitation in her back which she called ‘the creeps’.
1862 E. Bulwer-Lytton Strange Story (1866) II. 391 I felt a creep of undefinable horror.
1879 A. Forbes in Daily News 21 Aug. 5/3 It gives you the creeps all down the small of the back.
1884 Athenæum 15 Mar. 340/1.
3. Coal Mining. The slow continuous bulging or rising up of the floor of a gallery owing to the superincumbent pressure upon the pillars. ‘Also any slow movement of mining ground’ (Raymond Mining Gloss. 1881).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > workplace > places where raw materials are extracted > mine > [noun] > slow bulging of floor or sagging of roof
thrust1708
squeeze1789
creep1813
1813 Ann. Philos. 2 285 The pitmen were proceeding..through the old workings..the proper road being obstructed by a creep.
1867 W. W. Smyth Treat. Coal & Coal-mining 132 The creep..arises when the thill or underclay is soft, and the proportion of pillars to bords such that after a time a downward movement takes place; the pillars then force the clay to rise upwards in the bords.
1868 Ann. Reg. 1867 ii. Chron. 176 He advised that it should be buried in some of the creeps or crevices of some old pit-workings.
1881 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Engineers 1880–1 9 124 Creep, Newc[astle]. A rising of the floor of a gangway, occasioned by the weight of incumbent strata, in pillar workings. Also any slow movement of mining ground.
4. A low arch under a railway embankment; an opening in a hedge or other enclosure, for an animal to creep or pass through. Cf. creep-hole n. Also, an enclosure in which young animals may feed, with an entrance too small to admit the mother. So creep-feed, creep-feeding; creep-feed v.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > an opening or aperture > [noun] > opening or break in continuity > in a wall, hedge, fence, dike, etc. > allowing passage of an animal
smoot1615
creep1819
smoot-holea1828
the world > animals > by habitat > habitat > [noun] > gap through which animal passes
meuse1523
creeper1845
creep1875
pop-hole1878
society > travel > means of travel > route or way > other means of passage or access > [noun] > underground passage or tunnel > for cattle
creep1875
cattle creep1893
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > animal enclosure or house general > [noun] > enclosure > other enclosures
post-and-rail paddock1684
straw yard1787
parkc1797
run1853
chicken run1868
creep1886
trap-yard1906
cutout1920
holding pen1923
holding paddock1933
holding yard1950
1819 Sporting Mag. 4 209 I have heard that they [sc. pheasants] of late have been snared in creeps, like hares.
1875 W. McIlwraith Guide Wigtownshire 37 A creep for cattle, on the Wigtown Railway.
1884 R. Jefferies Red Deer x. 188 Through this hedge [poachers] leave holes, or ‘creeps’, for the pheasants to run through.
1886 C. Scott Pract. Sheep-farming 92 To fatten lambs rapidly, the utmost care must be given to their feeding. When folded on green crops they should feed in advance of the ewes, by having ‘creeps’ provided.
1924 Chambers's Jrnl. Jan. 49/2 The rabbits have their chosen creeps through the greenery below.
1950 N.Z. Jrnl. Agric. Jan. 63/1 Creep feeding. From the earliest age piglets will take extra feed.
1950 N.Z. Jrnl. Agric. Apr. 371/3 A creep in which the suckers can feed away from the sow is a necessity.
1960 Farmer & Stockbreeder 16 Feb. 50 The piglets..will already be creep-feeding.
1960 Farmer & Stockbreeder 22 Mar. 136/2 A suitable creep-feed mixture would be 2 parts cracked beans, 1 part crushed wheat, 3 parts crushed oats, 2 parts ground barley.
1964 R. Jeffries Embarrassing Death ii. 18 He could see sheep creep-feeding in one field.
5. = creeper n. 5.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > other specific types of equipment > [noun] > equipment for use on seabed
creeper?a1400
tangle1882
creep1889
Petersen grab1923
snapper grab1925
sled1939
piston sampler1946
piston core sampler1947
piston corer1954
hydrocast1960
1889 Chambers's Jrnl. Jan. 28/2 Boatmen went to work with creeps or drags to search for the body.
6. Geology. (Cf. 3.)
a. A slow, imperceptible movement en masse of soil, talus, etc., usually downhill under the influence of gravity but frequently with other processes (such as successive freezing and thawing) contributing to the effect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > formation of features > movement of material > [noun] > movement under gravity or water
land-rushc1550
slide1664
landslip1679
pitting1686
rockfall?1797
shoot1820
landslide1822
run1827
mountain slide1830
slip1838
slough1838
mudslide1848
founder1882
creep1889
soil-creep1897
rock creep1902
slump1905
solifluction1906
slumping1907
slopewash1938
sludging1946
mass wasting1951
1889 Geol. Mag. 6 260 The normal rise of the surface particles was about 1/ 49 of the depth of the frozen soil, and their creep about 1/ 165 of the same depth.
1897 W. B. Scott Introd. Geol. iv. 82 Each freezing causes the fragments to rise slightly..and each thawing produces a reverse movement; hence the slow creep down the slope.
1897 Archaeol. Jrnl. Dec. 374 The soil-creep is slow and the surface soils are of great antiquity.
1903 T. M. Reade Evol. Earth Struct. ii. 45 The tangential creep and ridging up.
1904 H. B. C. Sollas & W. J. Sollas tr. E. Suess Face of Earth I. 115 Those cases of overthrusting which are distinguished from faults under the name of Wechsel or Schlächten in Germany, and known in England as creeps.
1938 C. F. S. Sharpe Landslides iii. 21 The general term creep may be defined as the slow down~slope movement of superficial soil or rock debris, usually imperceptible except to observations of long duration.
1942 C. A. Cotton Geomorphol. (ed. 3) iii. 29 Evidence of creep may be seen where trees and posts have been tilted from the vertical.
1960 B. W. Sparks Geomorphol. iv. 47 Rock creep is a movement of jointed blocks, partly as the result of soil creep and partly as a result of sliding.
1966 R. Common in G. H. Dury Ess. Geomorphol. 53 Shearing stresses in the material of a slope cause creep when they exceed the ‘fundamental’ shearing resistance.
b. A slow displacement of strata or the earth's crust by expansion or contraction or under compressive forces.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > formation of features > tectonization or diastrophism > [noun] > deformation under stress
shear1888
flow1889
thrust-movement1890
crush1893
creep1900
thrust1903
underthrusting1908
1900 Geogr. Jrnl. Oct. 461 Gigantic crust-creep of overthrust masses.
1903 T. M. Reade Evol. Earth Struct. ix. 134 The horizontal expansion..will produce, by small increments and minor alterations, a creep, ending in an anticlinal fold.
1906 T. C. Chamberlin & R. D. Salisbury Geol. III. 312 Continental creep along the steep slope between the continental platforms and the oceanic basins.
1942 E. M. Anderson Dynamics of Faulting & Dyke Formation viii. 182 A general ‘creep’ of the surface towards the mountain axis is supposed by others to be an essential part of the process of orogeny.
1964 L. U. de Sitter Struct. Geol. (ed. 2) xi. 149 Very accurate geodetic surface measurements across the San Andreas fault..have shown that slow creep at an annual rate of 1 cm does take place along the fault line.
7. The slip of the belt on the pulley drum, or wheel over which it runs.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > parts which provide power > [noun] > pulleys > parts of
shipper1852
speed1881
creep1909
V-belt1911
1888 Lockwood's Dict. Mech. Engin. 95 Creeping, the very slight loss of speed which results when drums are driven by rope gearing, due to the slipping of the rope.]
1909 W. C. Unwin Elem. Machine Design i. 448 (heading) Creep of belt.
8. A creeping motion between the rim of a wheel and a rubber tyre. Cf. creep v. 11.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicles according to means of motion > vehicle moving on wheels > [noun] > parts of vehicle moving on wheels > wheel > rubber or pneumatic tyre > creep between rim and tyre
creep1908
1908 Westm. Gaz. 5 Mar. 4/3 The rims of the R.W. wheel allow no creep with a properly inflated tyre.
9. The continuous deformation of a material (esp. a metal) under stress, esp. at high temperatures. Cf. creep v. 8.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > misshapenness > [noun] > action or fact of putting or being out of shape > as result of pressure or strain > continuous or gradual
flow1889
creep1924
1924 F. C. Lea in Proc. Inst. Mech. Engin. II. 1066 At stresses slightly above this the creep was continuous and the bar broke.
1924 F. C. Lea in Proc. Inst. Mech. Engin. II. 1072 It will thus stand a higher stress without creep.
1928 Daily Express 29 June 6 Investigations are being made into the ‘creep’ in metals.
1931 H. J. Tapsell Creep of Metals iii. 31 Creep may be defined as the deformation of a material occurring with time under and due to an externally applied stress whether the deformation be of the nature of plastic or of viscous flow.
1943 E. G. Couzens in R. S. Morrell Synthetic Resins (ed. 2) xvii. 544 Flow takes place in two stages—creep, which is greatest following elastic deformation, and cold flow.
1952 Jrnl. Iron & Steel Inst. 171 333/2 In these materials creep was found to be primarily a process of slip in the austenite crystals.
1956 Gloss. Terms Concrete (B.S.I.) 16 Creep, a slow inelastic deformation or movement of concrete under stress.
1957 Brit. Commonw. Forest Terminol.: Pt. II (Empire Forestry Assoc.) 51 Creep, the increase in strain with time due to elastic after-effect and plastic deformation.
1970 Fremdsprachen 44 An uncertainty about the effect of creep and shrinkage.
Compounds
C1. General attributive. Also creep-hole n., creep-mouse n. and adj.
a. † creep-window n. Obsolete (Cf. sense 4.)
ΚΠ
1664 R. Atkyns Orig. & Growth Printing Ded. B j The least Creep-window robs the whole House; the least Errour in War is not to be redeemed.
b. (In sense 9.)
creep-rate n.
ΚΠ
1931 H. J. Tapsell Creep of Metals iii. 31 Ultimate failure of a material would result however small the initial creep rate may be.
creep-resistance n.
ΚΠ
1937 Jrnl. Royal Aeronaut. Soc. 41 378 Cast alloys have better creep resistance than forged.
creep-resistant adj.
ΚΠ
1947 Mech. Engin. LXIX. 273 The scarcity of creep-resistant materials for blades and rotors working at high temperature.
1960 Times 16 Mar. (Canberra Suppl.) p. vii/1 The use of high-strength alloy creep-resistant steels for the tubes and supports.
creep-strain n.
ΚΠ
1948 Jrnl. Royal Aeronaut. Soc. 52 2/2 Strain deviations..are regarded as ‘creep strains’.
creep-stress n.
ΚΠ
1934 Jrnl. Royal Aeronaut. Soc. 38 205 When selecting a light alloy material for aero engine design..it is important to consider the creep stress of the material concerned.
creep-test n.
ΚΠ
1934 Jrnl. Royal Aeronaut. Soc. 38 408 Magnesium alloys under creep test.
creep-testing n.
ΚΠ
1931 H. J. Tapsell Creep of Metals i. 3 The experimental refinements now found necessary in creep-testing.
C2.
creep curve n. a curve showing the rate, circumstances, etc. of creep (sense 9).
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > graph or diagram > [noun] > graph > showing specific relationship
characteristic1881
characteristic curve1881
time curve1883
luminosity curve1886
hysteresis curve1890
hysteresis loop1892
time-distance1892
solidus1901
power curve1908
log log1910
Russell diagram1922
creep curve1931
power curve1932
Hertzsprung–Russell diagram1939
Petersen graph1947
utility curve1948
tournament graph1959
offset1987
1931 H. J. Tapsell Creep of Metals iii. 31 The form of the creep curve for materials at normal service temperature.
creep joint n. U.S. slang (a) a brothel or unwholesome apartment-house, esp. one where patrons are robbed; (b) a gambling-game operating in a different location each night.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > prostitution > [noun] > brothel
houseOE
bordelc1300
whorehousec1330
stew1362
bordel housec1384
stewc1384
stivec1386
stew-house1436
bordelryc1450
brothel house1486
shop?1515
bains1541
common house1545
bawdy-house1552
hothouse1556
bordello1581
brothela1591
trugging house1591
trugging place1591
nunnery1593
vaulting-house1596
leaping house1598
Pickt-hatch1598
garden house1606
vaulting-school1606
flesh-shambles1608
whore-sty1621
bagnioa1640
public house1640
harlot-house1641
warrena1649
academy1650
call house1680
coney burrow1691
case1699
nanny-house1699
house of ill reputea1726
smuggling-ken1725
kip1766
Corinth1785
disorderly house1809
flash-house1816
dress house1823
nanny-shop1825
house of tolerance1842
whore shop1843
drum1846
introducing house1846
khazi1846
fast house1848
harlotry1849
maison de tolérance1852
knocking-shop1860
lupanar1864
assignation house1870
parlour house1871
hook shop1889
sporting house1894
meat house1896
massage parlour1906
case house1912
massage establishment1921
moll-shop1923
camp1925
notch house1926
creep joint1928
slaughterhouse1928
maison de convenance1930
cat-house1931
Bovril1936
maison close1939
joy-house1940
rib joint1940
gaff1947
maison de passe1960
rap parlour1973
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > games of chance > [noun] > type of game
ordinary1684
gambling game1803
creep joint1928
table game1951
lose game1971
1928 M. C. Sharpe Chicago May (1929) ii New York was full of creep joints at that time [c1896].
1930 Amer. Mercury Dec. 455/1 Creep-joint, a gambling house that moves to a different apartment each night.
1946 M. Mezzrow & B. Wolfe Really Blues i. 3 Earned my Ph.D. in more creep joints and speakeasies and dancehalls than the law allows.
1950 A. Lomax Mister Jelly Roll (1952) 50 Creep joints where they'd put the feelers on a guy's clothes.
creep limit n. the maximum stress to which material, esp. metal, can be subjected without ‘creep’ (see sense 9).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > misshapenness > [noun] > action or fact of putting or being out of shape > as result of pressure or strain > maximum stress without deformation
creep limit1940
1940 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 208/1 Creep limit.
creep strength n. = creep limit n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > constitution of matter > strength > [noun] > specific
shearing strength1869
impact strength1904
creep strength1929
impact resistance1934
1929 Tapsell & Remfry (title) The ‘creep’ strength of a ‘high nickel-high chromium steel’, between 600° and 800° C.
1957 Times Surv. Brit. Aviation Sept. 27/4 American writers have claimed an increase in creep strength of 20 per cent. by vacuum-melting.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
creepv.
/kriːp/, U.S. /krip//krɛpt/;α. (a) singular Old English–Middle English créap, Middle English creep, Middle English creepe, Middle English creop, Middle English crep, Middle English crepe, 1800s crep (regional); (b) plural Old English crupon, Middle English crupen. c1000 Ælfric Homilies II. 394 (Bosw.) Heo creap betwux ðam mannum.a1100 Anglo-Saxon Chron. anno 1083 Sume crupon under.a1225 Leg. Kath. 908 [He] com ant creap in ure.a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2924 Ðor crep a dragun.1340–70 Alisaunder 1009 Þer crep oute an addre.c1386 G. Chaucer Reeve's Tale 306 She creepe [v.rr. (MSS. 1435–75) creep, crepe, crep, crepte] in to the clerk.1881 S. Evans Evans's Leicestershire Words (new ed.) Crep, pt. and p.p., crept.
β. (a) plural Middle English cropen, Middle English– crope; (b) singular Middle English crop, Middle English croup, Middle English– crope; (c) singular and plural 1500s croape, 1600s–1800s crop, 1800s crup. c1290 S. Eng. Leg. 170/2217 Heo..cropen al-so ase ametene al aboute.c1300 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Otho) (1978) l. 9218 Somme hii crope [c1275 Calig. crupen] to þan wode.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 2303 Þaa wigurs croup þe warlau in.c1475 (?c1425) Avowing of King Arthur (1984) l. 1021 Þe caytef crope into a tunne.1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Sam. xiii. 6 They crope in to caues and dennes.1572 R. Harrison tr. L. Lavater Of Ghostes iii. x. 207 Diuers errours croape into the Churche.1606 W. Birnie Blame of Kirk-buriall x. sig. C3v Before the Kirk-buriall crop in.1672 C. Wyvill Pretensions Triple Crown 160 He crope quietly on again.a1734 R. North Examen (1740) i. iii. §144 217 Another Witness crope out against the Lord Stafford.1831 W. S. Landor Fra Rupert in Wks. (1846) II. 577 His dog soon crope betwixt us.1883 C. F. Smith Southernisms in Trans. Amer. Philol. Soc. 47 Crope, preterit and past participle of creep, is common among the negroes and poorer whites.
γ. northern Middle English crape, Middle English–1800s crap. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 14613 Þe sparewe innere crap.?a1500 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables: Sheep & Dog l. 1291 in Poems (1981) 53 To ane coif he crap.a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1957) ii. iv. 48 And crap in vnder the feit of the goddess.a1605 A. Montgomerie Since that Hevins 41 With my king in credit once I crap.1796 H. Macneill Waes o' War i. 7 Gloaming..Crap owre distant hill and plain.
δ. Middle English creped, Middle English crepid, Middle English crepped, Middle English kreppet, Middle English– creipit (Scottish), 1600s–1800s creeped. c1300 K. Alis. 390 On hire bed twyes he leped, The thridde tyme yn he creped.c1386 G. Chaucer Reeve's Tale 339 He wende haue cropen [MS. Camb. crepid, Harl. crope] by his felawe Iohn, And by the Millere in he creepe [v.rr. creep, crape, crepede, crept] anon.a1640 P. Massinger & J. Fletcher Very Woman iv. iii. 20 in P. Massinger 3 New Playes (1655) How the devil Creep'd he in to my head? 1807 [see sense 1a]. 1893 N.E.D. at Creep Mod. Sc. A fox creepit or crap through the hole.
ε. Middle English– crept, Middle English– crepte. a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 2235 Þei hieȝed hem þider for drede out of doute, & crepten in-to a caue.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 15388 Crepped [Trin. Cambr. crepte, Vesp. crep, Gött. croupe] in him Sathanas.1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. clxix Whereunto..[this] tended and crept vp.1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. (1682) iv. 141 He crept in favour with Christians.1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xi. 69 We crossed crevasses and crept round slippery ridges.
3. Past participle.α. Old English–1600s (1800s– northern) cropen, late Middle English–1500s croipin (Scottish), late Middle English–1500s croppin (Scottish), 1500s crepen, 1800s creppen (Yorkshire), 1800s croppen (northern), 1800s cruppen (northern). c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 2828 Þa ilke þe aniht weoren atcropene [c1300 Otho awei crope].c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Franklin's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 8986 As thow..were cropen out of the ground.1423 Kingis Quair clxxxii Quho that from hell war croppin onys in hevin.1481 W. Caxton tr. Hist. Reynard Fox (1970) 17 He had cropen therin.a1555 J. Philpot tr. C. S. Curione Def. Authority Christ's Church in R. Eden Exam. & Writings J. Philpot (1842) (modernized text) 336 Corruptions have crepen into the people.1563 N. Winȝet Certain Tractates (1888) I. 132 Abuiss..croipin in the Kirk.a1572 J. Knox Hist. Reformation Scotl. in Wks. (1846) I. 401 Frensche men ar croppin in of lait.1621 G. Markham Hunger's Prevent. (1655) 32 Cropen away and hidden.1698 M. Lister in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 20 247 [They] would have cropen away.1790 A. Wheeler Westmorland Dial. 26 Sic pride croppen intul Storth an Arnside.1855 F. K. Robinson Gloss. Yorks. Words 203 Croppen or Cropen, crept. ‘Where hae ye gitten croppen to?’
β. Middle English crepe, Middle English ycrop, Middle English ycrope, Middle English–1700s crope. c1275 Laȝamon Brut 5671 Þat weren awei crope.c1325 Coer de L. 3473 In the erthe they wolde have crope.c1330 Arth. & Merl. 7229 Whider-ward were ye y-crope.c1440 J. Capgrave Life St. Katherine iii. 404 If he ware Crope thorow þe ȝate.1595 G. Markham To Fayrest in Trag. Sir R. Grinuile i A Heauenlie fier is crope into my braine.1642 D. Rogers Naaman 71 The Lord speakes of those..despised men, crope out of captivity.a1734 R. North Examen (1740) 273 The Captain was just crope out of Newgate.
γ. Middle English crepid, 1600s–1800s creeped. c1430 G. Chaucer Reeve's Tale (Cambr.) 339 He wende a crepid by hese felawe Ion [5 MSS. cropen, Harl. crope].1761 D. Hume Hist. Eng. I. xvi. 396 Intestine faction had creeped into the Government of France.1893 N.E.D. at Creep Mod. Sc. It has creepit oot.
δ. 1500s– crept. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Macc. vi. 11 Some yt were crepte in to dennes.1611 Bible (King James) Jude 4 There are certaine men crept in vnawares.1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 195 Mahomet has a little crept among them.1855 Ld. Tennyson Maud xxvi. i, in Maud & Other Poems 96 My life has crept so long on a broken wing.
The perfect tense was formerly, as in go, come, etc., formed with be to express result: he is cropen or crept in.c1275 [see α. forms]. c1405 [see α. forms]. 1423 [see α. forms]. 1534 Bible (Tyndale rev. Joye) Jude 4 For ther are certayne craftely crept in.1545 G. Joye Expos. Daniel (vii.) f. 99v Out of pore scoles and cloysters are these beggers cropen vp.1650 Earl of Monmouth tr. J. F. Senault Man become Guilty 338 As soon as they are crope out from their Spring~head.1706 A. Bedford Temple Musick vii. 151 No Errors are crept into the..Text.1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 57. ¶4 That Party Rage which..is very much crept into their Conversation. a1734 [see β. forms]. Signification.
1. † b. Proverbially contrasted with go (= ‘walk’).† c. to creep to the cross (also to creep the cross): spec. used of the Adoration of the Cross, in the Roman Service for Good Friday. Obsolete.
a. intransitive. To move with the body prone and close to the ground, as a short-legged reptile, an insect, a quadruped moving stealthily, a human being on hands and feet, or in a crouching posture.Formerly said of snakes, worms, and other creatures without limbs, for which crawl is now more usual, though in some cases either may be used: see crawl v.1
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > progressive motion > moving along with hands and feet or with body prone > move along with hands and feet or with body prone [verb (intransitive)] > creep or crawl
creepc888
rampa1393
crawla1400
trainc1475
ycraul1594
sinuate1848
belly1903
c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxvi. §4 Oþer næfþ his fota geweald þæt he mæge gan..and onginþ creopan [Bodl. MS. crypan] on ðone ilcan weg.
c1000 Ælfric Homilies II. 488 (Bosw.) Him comon to creopende fela næddran.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 14629 Þe king him gon crepen an heonden and a futen.
c1386 G. Chaucer Reeve's Tale 339 He wende haue cropen [MS. Camb. crepid, Harl. crope] by his felawe Iohn, And by the Millere in he creepe [v.rr. creep, crape, crepede, crept] anon.
1413 J. Lydgate Pilgr. of Sowle (1483) iv. xxxiii. 82 The serpent..shold..crepe vpon his breste.
1611 J. Florio Queen Anna's New World of Words Carponare, to creepe on all foure.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) iv. ii. 51 Creepe into the Kill-hole.
1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 213 Land Tortoyses, (so great that they will creepe with two mens burthens).
1705 Berkeley Descr. Cave of Dunmore in Wks. IV. 509 We were forced to stoop, and soon after creep on our knees.
1735 W. Somervile Chace iii. 146 See there he [the fox] creeps along; his Brush he drags.
1807 J. Robinson Archæol. Græca iii. vi. 227 A person accused creeped on his hands through the fire.
1864 Ld. Tennyson Aylmer's Field in Enoch Arden, etc. 95 [There] the slow-worm creeps.
ΚΠ
c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxvi. §4 Se biþ mihtigra se ðe gæþ þonne se þe criepð [Bodl. MS. crypþ].
c1450 (c1400) Sowdon of Babylon (1881) l. 267 The Dikes were so develye depe..Ouer cowde thai nothir goo nor crepe.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xiii. 151 Kynde will crepe Where it may not go.
1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue i. xi. sig. Divv Children lerne to crepe er they can lerne to go.
1663 S. Patrick Parable of Pilgrim 304 The most imperfect souls, who are not as yet able to go, but only to creep in the way to heaven.
1741 S. Richardson Pamela III. xxxvii. 352 And besides, as the vulgar Saying is, One must creep before one goes!
1836 C. P. Traill Backwoods of Canada 57 I used to hear when I was a boy, ‘first creep and then go!’
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > liturgical year > feast, festival > specific Christian festivals > Holy Week > [verb (intransitive)] > take part in ceremony
to creep to the crossc1200
c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 95 Crepe to cruche on lange fridai.
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xviii. 428 Ariseth..And crepeth to þe crosse on knees.
c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 269 Not as thouȝ thei crepiden thanne and there to noon other thing saue to the ymage, but that thei aftir her ymaginacioun crepiden to the persoon of Crist.
a1500 Ratis Raving ii. 129 Nocht our oft creip the corss one kneis.
15.. in A. Borde Fyrst Bk. Introd. Knowl. (1870) Introd. 92 The Usher to lay a Carpett for the Kinge to Creepe to the Crosse upon.
1554 J. Bale Declar. Bonner's Articles D iv b To creape to the Crosse on Good Friday featly.
1589 W. Warner Albions Eng. (new ed.) v. xxiii. 103 We kisse the Pix, we creepe the Crosse, our Beades we ouer-runne.
1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida iii. iii. 67 To come as humbly as they vsd to creep, to holy aultars. View more context for this quotation
1630 J. Taylor Bk. Martyrs ii, in Wks. 140 Because they would not creepe vnto the crosse, And change Gods sacred Word for humane drosse.
2.
a. To move softly, cautiously, timorously, or slowly; to move quietly and stealthily so as to elude observation; to steal (into, away, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > rate of motion > slowness > move or go slowly [verb (intransitive)]
creepc1175
lugc1400
to hold (also keep) foot withc1438
crawlc1460
lounge?a1513
slug1565
drawl1566
draggle1577
fodge1581
snail1582
laggerc1620
slagger1622
snail1628
flod1674
delay1690
to drag one’s slow length along1711
soss1711
loiter1728
trail1744
sidle1781
soodle1821
linger1826
ooze1847
slope1851
laggard1864
dawdle1872
tiddle1882
oozle1958
pootle1973
the world > movement > progressive motion > specific manner of progressive motion > move progressively in specific manner [verb (intransitive)] > softly or stealthily
creepc1175
skulk?c1225
stealc1374
slipc1400
sneak1598
crawl1623
snake1848
slime1898
oil1925
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > stealthy action, stealth > stealthy movement > move stealthily [verb (intransitive)]
besteala725
snikec897
steal1154
creepc1175
skulk?c1225
snaker?c1225
stalkc1300
slenchc1330
lurka1375
slinkc1374
snokec1380
slide1382
slipc1400
mitchera1575
sneak1598
snake1818
sly1825
snoop1832
to steal one's way1847
sniggle1881
gumshoe1897
slime1898
pussyfoot1902
soft-foot1913
cat-foot1916
pussy1919
pussa1953
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 23 And þer beo analpi holh þat an mon mei crepan in.
1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 198 This lady tho was crope a side As she, that wolde her selven hide.
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) vi. l. 627 Full law thai crap quhill thai war out off sicht.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry i. f. 6 The Fathers forsaking the Plough.., began to creepe into the Towne.
a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) ii. vii. 146 The whining Schoole-boy..creeping like snaile Vnwillingly to schoole. View more context for this quotation
1705 J. Addison Remarks Italy 9 We here took a little Boat to creep along the Sea-shore as far as Genoa.
1850 Ld. Tennyson In Memoriam vii. 9 Like a guilty thing I creep At earliest morning to the door. View more context for this quotation
1873 W. Black Princess of Thule xxv. 421 If this wind continues, we can creep up to-morrow to Loch Roag.
b. Of things: To move slowly.
ΚΠ
1650 T. Fuller Pisgah-sight of Palestine ii. x. 214 Where the brook Zorek creeps faintly out of the Tribe of Iudah.
1752 E. Young Brothers ii. i Go, fool, and teach a cataract to creep!
1867 J. G. Whittier Tent on Beach xxiv The mists crept upward chill and damp.
1878 T. H. Huxley Physiography (ed. 2) 178 The sea-bottom over which the cold water creeps.
c. transitive. To introduce gradually; slowly to increase (an amount of light, volume of music, etc.). Const. in. Cf. fade v.1 9.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [verb (intransitive)] > gradually
creep1949
the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [verb (transitive)] > increase gradually
creep1949
1949 T. Rattigan Harlequinade in Playbill 57 They've crept in numbers two and three [sc. spotlights] too early.
1960 N. Kneale Quatermass & Pit iii. 97 Creep in music.
3. figurative (of persons and things).
a. To advance or come on slowly, stealthily, or by imperceptible degrees; to insinuate oneself into; to come in or up unobserved; to steal insensibly upon or over.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming in > go or come in [verb (intransitive)] > creep in
creepc1380
increepc1420
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > stealthy action, stealth > be stealthy [verb (intransitive)] > intrude stealthily
creepc1380
steala1586
screw1614
worm1627
sap1733
weasel1963
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > stealthy action, stealth > stealthy movement > move stealthily [verb (intransitive)] > with hostile intent
steal13..
creepc1380
tranont1487
c1380 J. Wyclif Wks. (1880) 296 Þise newe ordris, þat ben cropen in wiþ-oute grounde.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 14147 Þat sekenes crepte to heed & fote.
c1430 Hymns Virg. (1867) 84 Now age is cropen on me ful stille.
c1430 J. Lydgate tr. Hist. Troy i. i So ferre he was cropen into age.
1534 W. Marshall tr. Erasmus Playne & Godly Expos. Commune Crede f. 74v By unlawfull plesure crope in the death and destruction of mankynde.
1567 A. Golding tr. Ovid Metamorphosis (new ed.) vii. f. 91 Sleepe vpon my carefull carcasse crope.
1647 C. Cotterell & W. Aylesbury tr. E. C. Davila Hist. Civill Warres France i. 40 These Opinions..crept up, that they were greedily embraced.
1702 D. Defoe Shortest-way with Dissenters 9 How they crope into all Places of Trust and Profit.
1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 61. ⁋1 Among many Phrases which have crept into Conversation.
1837 W. Irving Adventures Capt. Bonneville I. 250 Despondency began to creep over their hearts.
1869 A. Trollope He knew he was Right II. liii. 27 When these sad weeks had slowly crept over her head.
1875 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) III. 301 The licence of which you speak very easily creeps in.
b. To move timidly or diffidently; to proceed humbly, abjectly, or servilely, to cringe; to move on a low level, without soaring or aspiring. Cf. creeping adj.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > humility > servility > be servile [verb (intransitive)]
fawnc1325
crouch1528
jouk1573
crawl1576
creep1581
spaniel1599
grovel1605
spanielize1641
cringec1660
to lick the ground1667
truckle1680
to kiss (a person's) arse, behind, bum1705
toad-eat1766
snool1786
to eat (any one's) toads1788
kowtow1826
sidle1828
toady1861
to knock head1876
ass-lick1937
1581 J. Marbeck Bk. Notes & Common Places 623 So lowe crope they on the ground, that when they heare the name of the Sabboth, they remember nothing but the seauenth day.
a1599 E. Spenser View State Ireland 9 in J. Ware Two Hist. Ireland (1633) When they are weary of warres..then they creepe a little perhaps and sue for grace.
1685 J. Dryden Sylvæ Pref. sig. a7v 'Tis evident he [sc. Milton] creeps along sometimes, for above an Hundred lines together.
1711 A. Pope Ess. Crit. 21 And ten low Words oft creep in one dull Line.
1734 A. Pope Epist. to Arbuthnot 324 Wit that can creep, and Pride that licks the dust.
1782 W. Cowper Conversation in Poems 219 Where men of judgment creep and feel their way, The Positive pronounce without dismay.
1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits vi. 107 Don't creep about diffidently.
1874 J. S. Blackie On Self-culture 89 Where aspiration is wanting, the soul creeps.
4. † c. Said of the ramification of blood vessels, etc. Obsolete. Cf. crawl v.1 4.
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a. Of plants: To grow with the stem and branches extending along the ground, a wall, or other surface, and throwing out roots or claspers at intervals.
b. Of roots or subterranean stems: To extend horizontally under ground.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > root > be a root [verb (intransitive)] > grow (as root)
creep1530
strike1673
to throw out1772
1530 W. Tyndale Pract. Prelates sig. cviijv [Ivy] crepeth alonge by the grounde till it finde a greate tree.
1574 J. Baret Aluearie C 1482 To crepe, to runne as rootes do in the ground. Repo.
1673 N. Grew Idea Phytol. Hist. ii. i. 56 The Motions of Roots are..Sometimes level, as of Hops, and all such as properly creep.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 127 Cucumers along the Surface creep . View more context for this quotation
1717 A. Pope Eloisa to Abelard in Wks. 429 Where round some mould'ring tow'r pale ivy creeps.
1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) vi. 55 Oh, a dainty plant is the Ivy green, That creepeth o'er ruins old!
ΚΠ
1668 N. Culpeper & A. Cole tr. T. Bartholin Anat. (new ed.) i. xxviii. 67 Those [blood-vessels] which come from above do creep all the womb over.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth III. 97 As they [sc. blood-vessels] creep along the side of the branches [of the horns].
d. figurative. To extend like a creeping plant.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > extend in space [verb (intransitive)] > like a creeping plant
creep1856
1856 A. P. Stanley Sinai & Palestine (1858) ii. 138 Vineyards creep along the ancient terraces.
1859 J. M. Jephson & L. Reeve Narr. Walking Tour Brittany iii. 24 Up this cliff creeps the town, capped by the fine old church.
e. Of a liquid: to spread over or cover a surface as a thin film; esp. (of a salt solution) to rise on the sides of the containing vessel, depositing crystals of the salt; (of the dissolved salt) to be deposited in this way.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > chemical reactions or processes > undergo chemical reactions or processes [verb (intransitive)] > undergo chemical reactions or processes (named) > undergo miscellaneous other processes
re-embody1654
depart1704
effervesce1747
bump1848
creep1888
olate1931
hybridize1962
1888 J. A. Fleming Short Lect. Electr. Artisans (ed. 2) 208 Difficulty sometimes occurs from the gradual ‘creeping’ up of the salts around the stopper.
1900 Nature 4 Oct. 562/1 Dr. Trouton gave a short account of his experiments on the creeping of liquids, and on the surface tensions of mixtures. He has found that the tendency of certain liquids to creep up the sides of their containing vessels is due to such liquids being mixtures.
1902 W. R. Cooper Prim. Batteries 195 When evaporation of a salt takes place in a glass vessel, crystals form on the vessel near the surface of the solution; and..the crystals grow upwards and finally grow over the top of the vessel. This ‘creeping’, as it is termed, is avoided in Leclanché cells by dipping the tops of the glass pots into ozokerite or paraffin wax.
1909 Cent. Dict. Suppl. at Oil-thrower Oil creeping along the shaft from the journal is thrown off.
1911 T. Mather Ayrton's Pract. Electr. 194 Their compactness, portability, freedom from all creeping of the salts.
1957 Encycl. Brit. XIV. 186/2 If an open vessel containing helium II is suspended inside the vacuum flask,..the liquid creeps over the edge, and drops off the bottom of the vessel.
1958 J. J. Bikerman Surface Chem. (ed. 2) i. 89 The well-known phenomenon of creeping of solutions or crystal climbing probably involves the relation between surface tension and concentration.
5.
a. transitive. = creep along or over. rare. (Cf. also to creep the cross at sense 1c).
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > progressive motion > moving along with hands and feet or with body prone > move along with hands and feet or with body prone [verb (transitive)] > creep or crawl along, over, or under
crawla1642
creep1667
becrawl1834
under-crawl1844
the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by habit > grow in a specific manner [verb (transitive)] > climb
creep1726
climb1804
clamber1887
the world > movement > progressive motion > specific manner of progressive motion > move or cause to move progressively in specific manner [verb (transitive)] > move softly or stealthily over
creep1821
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vii. 523 And every creeping thing that creeps the ground. View more context for this quotation
1726 J. Dyer Grongar Hill in New Misc. 85 Whose ragged Walls the Ivy creeps.
1744 J. Wesley & C. Wesley Coll. Psalms & Hymns (new ed.) i. 54 The meanest Worm that creeps on Earth.
1821 J. Clare Village Minstrel I. 130 Black clouds crept the southern hill.
b. transitive and intransitive. To rob (stealthily); to use stealth. Criminals' slang (originally U.S.).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > steal [verb (intransitive)] > steal sneakingly
area sneak1819
creep1914
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > steal [verb (transitive)] > steal from > steal from sneakingly
sneak1819
creep1914
1914 L. E. Jackson & C. R. Hellyer Vocab. Criminal Slang
1928 M. C. Sharpe Chicago May (1929) xxxi. 259 Panelling, or creeping, only carries eighteen months, because the John went to the room of his own accord.
1955 P. Wildeblood Against Law iii. 119 You could creep that drum six-handed, with jelly and all, and she'd think it was mice.
1958 F. Norman Bang to Rights iii. 121 A geezer who got captured while he was out on the creep, he used to go out and creep about all over the place trying to find things to knock off. One of his favourite stokes was creep offices [sic] in the city..during the lunch hour.
6. intransitive. Of the skin or flesh, less usually of the person himself: To have a sensation as of things creeping over the skin; to be affected with a nervous shrinking or shiver (as a result of fear, horror, or repugnance).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > touch and feeling > sensation of something creeping on skin > [verb (intransitive)]
crawla1400
creepa1400
pringle1889
the mind > emotion > fear > physical symptoms of fear > exhibit physical symptoms [verb (intransitive)] > undergo a creeping of the flesh or gooseflesh
crawla1400
creepa1400
horripilate1623
girl1820
pringle1889
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 3567 Quen þat [he] sua bicums ald..It crepes crouland in his bak.
c1400 Rom. Rose 2558 Whanne thou wenest for to slepe, So fulle of peyne shalt thou crepe.
1726 J. Swift Gulliver II. iii. vii. 97 Something in their Countenances..made my Flesh creep with..Horror.
1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge xvii. 29 You make my hair stand on end, and my flesh creep.
1879 G. Meredith Egoist II. x. 196 He had such an air of saying, ‘Tom's a-cold,' that her skin crept in sympathy.
1882 I. Mayo Mrs. Raven's Temptation I. 310 It makes me quite creep.
7. Nautical, etc. To drag with a creeper for anything at the bottom of the water.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > diving or dredging > dive or dredge [verb (intransitive)] > dredge
drag1530
dredge1681
sweep1748
creep1813
swipe1881
1813–14 Act 54 Geo. III c. 159 §10 No person..shall..creep or sweep for anchors [etc.]..supposed to be lost in any of the ports.
1830 F. Marryat King's Own I. ix. 137 There the cargo is left, until they have an opportunity of going off in boats to creep for it, which is by dragging large hooks at the bottom until they catch the hawsers.
1879 T. Hardy Distracted Preacher in New Q. Mag. Apr. 349 They'll string the tubs to a stray-line, and sink 'em a little-ways from shore,..and then..they'll go to creep for them.
8. Of metal rails, etc.: To move gradually forward under the continuous pressure of heavy traffic in the same direction, or as a result of periodical expansion and contraction on a gradient. Also, to increase very gradually in length under excessive stress.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > forward movement > move forward or advance [verb (intransitive)] > gradual, of material under pressure
creep1872
the world > movement > rate of motion > slowness > move or go slowly [verb (intransitive)] > move gradually > of metal
creep1872
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > longitudinal extent > extend longitudinally [verb (intransitive)] > become longer > very gradually
creep1872
1872 W. S. Huntington Road-master's Assistant (ed. 2) 29 The rails in creeping have a tendency to move towards the foot of the grade.
1885 Science 24 Apr. 344/2 In some places the rails move longitudinally, or ‘creep’... On long inclines or grades the track may creep down hill.
1887 Engineer LXIV. 9 Now I have the fish bolts loosened I am threatened with a creeping of the line.
1890 Daily News 31 Dec. 2/5 The very curious ‘creeping’ action of lead upon a roof was also shown by means of a model... In the experiment the lead, first heated and then cooled, was made to creep a perceptible space.
1899 J. A. Ewing Strength of Materials 24 When a load exceeding the elastic limit is applied the strain which occurs at once is followed by a continued ‘creeping’ or supplementary deformation.
1911 J. A. Ewing in Encycl. Brit. XXV. 1014/1 The elastic limit is the point..at which a tendency to creep is first seen.
1924 F. C. Lea in Proc. Inst. Mech. Engin. II. 1053 The problem is to find the safe stress at which the material will not change form or creep.
1924 F. C. Lea in Proc. Inst. Mech. Engin. II. 1072 At 11.40 a.m. on the 11th the specimen had crept 0·2 millimetre, but at 11.40 a.m. on the 14th the creeping had ceased.
1955 Oxf. Junior Encycl. VIII. 286/2 Under this smaller but continuous burden the metal gradually deforms or ‘creeps’, and eventually breaks.
9. Coal Mining. To suffer a ‘creep’.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > workplace > places where raw materials are extracted > mine > action of mine [verb (intransitive)] > suffer slow bulging of floor
creep1849
1849 G. C. Greenwell Gloss. Terms Coal Trade Northumberland & Durham 19 The softer the thill, the greater the liability to creep.
1861 Trans. N. Eng. Inst. Min. Engineers IX. 24 [It] had evidently brought on a heavy creep as shown on the section of crept bords.
10. Of soil, talus, etc.: to undergo creep (sense 6a); to move imperceptibly en masse.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > formation of features > movement of material > [verb (intransitive)] > movement under gravity or water
spew1839
slump1844
creep1889
sludge1938
1843 J. Phillips in Rep. Brit. Assoc. (1844) 61 This seemed to be the result of a ‘creeping’ movement of the particles of rock along the planes of cleavage.
1855 J. Phillips in Man. Geol. 85 Thus the mica and chlorite which generally meet the surfaces of lamination, appear to have been shouldered about, without being fused, twisted in their structural planes, and subject to that curious minute folding which is often observed as one of the effects of cleavage structure in delicate and pliable shells in slates, for which the term ‘creep’ was used by the author in 1843.]
1889 Geol. Mag. 6 257 The whole outer layer of the soilcap will..creep slightly downwards.
1889 Geol. Mag. 6 260 The creeping of the soilcap through the action of frost.
1918 Econ. Geol. XIII. 609 In many places hillside surficial material seems to be creeping up instead of down—perhaps due to swelling by weathering of the surface portions of certain underlying beds.
1965 F. H. Hatch & R. H. Rastall Petrol. Sedimentary Rocks (ed. 4) II. v. 77 If a rock fragment on a slope is moved by its own expansion or that of the pore-water it may be exposed to the pull of gravity. It will then creep slightly downhill.
11. Of a rubber tyre. (Cf. creep n. 8.)
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicles according to means of motion > vehicle moving on wheels > move on wheels [verb (intransitive)] > (of rubber tyres) to creep
creep1903
1903 Motoring Ann. 300 It is claimed for the Collier tyre that it cannot possibly creep.
1908 Westm. Gaz. 25 Feb. 4/2 I understand that they have a great tendency to creep.
12. Of a belt or rope: to slip or slide backwards on the pulley. (Cf. creep n. 7.)
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > parts which provide power > of parts which provide power: operate [verb (intransitive)] > of belt: slide backwards on pulley
creep1922
1922 F. V. Hetzel Belt Conveyors 124 A poorly made belt..will creep more and cause more wear than a good belt.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.1486v.c888- daughter form
- daughter house
- daughter isotope
- daughter language
- daughter nucleus
- daughter of eve
- daughter of joy
- daughter of momus
- daughter of the house
- cyclicallest
- cyclicallier
- cyclicalliest
- cyclically
- cyclicals
- cycliccer
- cycliccest
- cyclicer
- cyclicest
- cyclicism
- cyclicly
- cyclicotomy
- cyclide
- cyclin
- cycling
- cycling club