creep
creep — 名詞
- creepsingular
- creepsplural
1. a person who acts overly friendly and helpful toward someone in a position of po
諂媚者
為討好權貴而表現虛假友善的人
a person who acts overly friendly and helpful toward someone in a position of power or authority, but whose behaviour is insincere and aimed at winning personal favour
The new manager quickly saw that Nikos was a creep who agreed with everything the boss said.
那位新主管很快就看出 Nikos 是個只會附和老闆的諂媚者。
be + a + creep = disapproving label for a person
Soraya disliked working with creeps who never offered their own opinions.
Soraya 不喜歡跟那些從不提自己意見的諂媚者共事。
At the staff meeting, Chiara nodded and smiled at every suggestion the department head made, even the impractical ones.
在部門會議上，Chiara 對處長提出的每一個建議都點頭微笑，連那些不可行的也不例外。
Imran refused to be a creep just to get a promotion he had earned fairly.
Imran 拒絕為了得到應得的升遷而當一個諂媚者。
- sycophant
more formal; used in writing rather than everyday speech
- bootlicker
very informal and rude; stronger disapproval
- toady
dated but still used in British English; describes someone who flatters for advantage
文法句型
be a creep
用法筆記
Strongly negative word. Use it to criticise someone whose friendliness you believe is fake and self-serving, not for honest admiration or respect.
常見錯誤
2. someone whose odd or offensive behaviour makes other people feel uneasy, nervous
討厭鬼
舉止奇怪或粗魯而令人不舒服的人，常指男性
someone whose odd or offensive behaviour makes other people feel uneasy, nervous, or threatened — the word is most often aimed at men
That creep at the bar kept staring at Tamar even after she asked him to stop.
酒吧裡那個討厭鬼一直盯著 Tamar 看，就算她叫他停止也不理會。
that creep = referring to an unspecified disliked person
Darius told his sister to stay away from the creep who had been following her home.
Darius 叫妹妹離那個一直跟蹤她回家的討厭鬼遠一點。
Wren asked the group of creeps on the corner to leave before she called the police.
Wren 要求街角那群討厭鬼離開，否則她要報警。
Emma refused to give her phone number to the creep who asked for it on the train.
Emma 拒絕把電話號碼給那個在火車上向她要號碼的討厭鬼。
文法句型
be a creep
that creep
用法筆記
Strong insult in most contexts — equates the person's character with unpleasantness or threat. Not used in polite or professional descriptions of people.
常見錯誤
3. a slow process by which something keeps growing or spreading bit by bit, especia
逐漸的變化
緩慢且不受歡迎的增長或擴散過程
a slow process by which something keeps growing or spreading bit by bit, especially when that change was not foreseen and is not welcome
The creep of rising prices has made everyday life harder for many families in Taipei.
物價逐漸上漲讓臺北許多家庭的生活變得更加困難。
the creep of + noun phrase = gradual unwanted process
Hui worried about the slow creep of coastal erosion along the beach near her village.
Hui 擔心她村子附近海灘的逐漸侵蝕問題。
Nobody noticed the creep of bureaucracy until a simple permit took three months to obtain.
沒有人注意到官僚程序的逐漸膨脹，直到一張簡單的許可證要花三個月才能辦好。
The creep of weeds into the rice paddies forced the farmers to work extra hours every week.
雜草逐漸蔓延到稻田裡，讓農民每週都得多花好幾個小時工作。
- gradual increase
neutral; can be positive or negative
- slow spread
more concrete; often used for physical expansion
文法句型
the creep of [something]
用法筆記
Common in formal and journalistic writing. Often paired with a noun that names something negative: the creep of inflation, the creep of government regulation, the creep of surveillance.
常見錯誤
4. a strong uncomfortable feeling of fear or nervousness, as if something unpleasan
毛骨悚然
強烈的恐懼或不自在，如同被不祥之物凝視
a strong uncomfortable feeling of fear or nervousness, as if something unpleasant is touching your skin or watching you from the dark
The old abandoned hospital gave Emma the creeps, especially the dark basement stairs.
那棟廢棄的老醫院讓 Emma 感到毛骨悚然，特別是黑暗的地下室樓梯。
give [someone] the creeps = idiomatic phrase for causing unease
Putri felt a creep of fear run down her spine when the lights flickered and died.
燈光閃爍熄滅時，Putri 感到一股恐懼沿著脊椎蔓延。
Even tough adults can get the creeps from walking through a dark forest alone at midnight.
即使是堅強的成年人，半夜獨自走過漆黑的森林也會感到毛骨悚然。
That horror movie gave Christopher the creeps so badly that he slept with the lights on.
那部恐怖片讓 Christopher 嚇得毛骨悚然，之後好幾天都開燈睡覺。
- the willies
equally informal American English phrase
- the heebie-jeebies
humorous informal; describes a silly or exaggerated fear
文法句型
give someone the creeps
the creeps
用法筆記
The phrase 'give someone the creeps' is far more common than using 'creep' alone for this meaning. Always use 'the' before 'creeps'.
常見錯誤
5. the act of moving slowly with your body low against the floor or ground, using y
爬行
以手膝著地或貼近地面緩慢移動的動作
the act of moving slowly with your body low against the floor or ground, using your knees and hands for support or dragging yourself along
The baby took her first creep across the living-room rug while her parents cheered.
小寶寶第一次在客廳地毯上爬行時，她的父母都歡呼了起來。
first creep = first crawling movement as a milestone
Ramón timed how long the tortoise took for each slow creep across the garden path.
Ramón 計算烏龜每次緩慢爬過花園小徑所需要的時間。
The wounded soldier managed one last creep toward the shelter before collapsing.
受傷的士兵在倒下之前，奮力做了最後一次爬行到掩護處。
With a careful creep the toddler moved past the sleeping dog without waking it.
學步兒小心翼翼地爬行經過睡著的狗旁邊，沒有吵醒牠。
文法句型
a slow creep
a creep across/toward [something]
用法筆記
Less common than the verb 'crawl' for describing babies' movement. As a noun, 'creep' emphasises slowness and care rather than ordinary crawling.
creep — 動詞
- creeppresent simple I / you / we / they
- creepshe / she / it
- creptpast simple
- creeping-ing form
1. to move in a quiet, slow, and careful way so that other people do not see or hea
悄悄地移動
緩慢安靜地移動以免被發現
to move in a quiet, slow, and careful way so that other people do not see or hear you
Imran crept down the stairs at three in the morning to get a glass of water.
Imran 凌晨三點悄悄地走下樓梯去倒一杯水。
crept + direction (down the stairs) — typical pattern
The cat crept slowly toward the bird, its tail twitching with concentration.
那隻貓慢慢地爬向鳥兒，尾巴因專注而微微抽動。
Tyler crept past his brother's door so the noise would not wake the baby.
Tyler 悄悄走過弟弟的房間門口，以免吵醒寶寶。
Putri crept through the library stacks, careful not to let her shoes squeak on the floor.
Putri 悄悄穿過圖書館的書架間，小心翼翼地不讓鞋子在地板上發出聲響。
The night-shift nurse crept into the apartment at dawn hoping her roommate was still asleep.
值夜班的護士在黎明時分悄悄地溜進公寓，希望室友還在睡覺。
- stomp
loud, heavy footsteps; opposite of quiet movement
文法句型
creep + adverb/preposition of direction
用法筆記
Past tense is 'crept', not 'creeped'. Nearly always followed by a preposition or adverb showing direction — 'creep in', 'creep out', 'creep past', 'creep up'.
常見錯誤
2. to stay low and move along a surface by putting your weight on your knees and ha
爬行；匍匐
身體貼近地面或以手膝著地移動
to stay low and move along a surface by putting your weight on your knees and hands, or by pulling yourself forward on your belly
The soldiers had to creep under the barbed wire on their stomachs to reach safety.
士兵們必須匍匐前進穿過有刺鐵絲網才能抵達安全地點。
creep under + noun phrase = body close to ground
Nikos crept along the narrow tunnel on his hands and knees until he saw daylight.
Nikos 用手和膝蓋沿著狹窄的通道爬行，直到看見光線。
Hui's puppy crept under the sofa whenever the vacuum cleaner came out.
Hui 的小狗每次看到吸塵器出現就會爬到沙發底下。
Darius watched the lizard creep across the hot sand toward the shade of a rock.
Darius 看著蜥蜴爬過滾燙的沙子，往岩石的陰影處移動。
The toddler crept across the grass on all fours, chasing after a yellow butterfly.
那個學步兒手腳並用地爬過草地，追著一隻黃色的蝴蝶。
- crawl
the usual neutral word; 'crawl' does not carry the secrecy meaning of 'creep'
- stand
opposite body position — upright rather than close to the ground
文法句型
creep + adverb/preposition of direction
用法筆記
Distinguished from sense 1 by the body being low to or touching the ground. The focus is on position and effort, not secrecy. For babies' natural movement, 'crawl' is the usual verb.
常見錯誤
3. to grow slowly across a surface, as some plants do by sending out long stems, ro
蔓延
植物沿著表面緩慢生長擴散
to grow slowly across a surface, as some plants do by sending out long stems, roots, or tendrils that attach themselves as they spread
Ivy has crept up the entire back wall of the old stone cottage over many years.
多年來，長春藤沿著老舊石屋的整面後牆蔓延生長。
creep up + wall — typical plant growth pattern
Morning glory vines crept across the wooden fence and into the neighbour's garden.
牽牛花的藤蔓爬過木頭圍籬，蔓延到鄰居的花園裡。
Wren watched the moss creep slowly over the damp stone statues in the park.
Wren 看著苔蘚慢慢地蔓延到公園裡潮濕的石雕像上。
Blackberry bushes had crept across the abandoned railway tracks over the long hot summer.
經過漫長的炎熱夏季，黑莓叢已經蔓延到了廢棄的鐵軌上。
Thick green vines crept up the pillars of the porch until the house looked half-hidden.
濃密的綠色藤蔓沿著門廊的柱子蔓延，房子看起來幾乎被遮蔽了一半。
文法句型
creep + adverb/preposition of direction
creep up/over/across/along
用法筆記
Only used for plants that spread horizontally or climb with support. Does not describe trees or upright plants. Commonly used with 'up', 'over', 'across', and 'through'.
4. to behave with exaggerated friendliness and helpfulness toward someone in author
諂媚；奉承
對權威人士過度友善以謀取利益
to behave with exaggerated friendliness and helpfulness toward someone in authority, hoping to gain an advantage or favour from them
Christopher spent all year creeping to the professor, hoping for a better grade.
Christopher 整年都在奉承教授，希望能拿到更好的成績。
creep + to [someone] = fawning for personal gain
Tamar refused to creep to her supervisor just to get the weekend off work.
Tamar 拒絕為了週末休假而討好她的主管。
The junior assistant crept to every manager in the building, which deeply annoyed the other staff.
那位初級助理對大樓裡每位主管都諂媚奉承，這讓其他同事非常反感。
Imran believed success came from hard work, not from creeping to the senior executives.
Imran 認為成功來自於努力工作，而不是靠討好高層主管。
Nobody respected the intern after watching him creep to the director all afternoon.
大家看到那名實習生整個下午都在奉承主管之後，就再也不尊重他了。
- fawn over
more formal; 'fawn over someone' without requiring 'to'
- suck up to
very informal; common in American and British speech
- brown-nose
vulgar slang; very informal and rude
文法句型
creep to [someone]
用法筆記
Always used with the preposition 'to' followed by the person in authority. Past tense is 'crept to', not 'creeped to'. Strongly negative in tone — avoid using this to describe your own behaviour.