to lurk in the shadows
3
7.6
- idiom
:
acechar en las sombras
- He lurks in the shadows, waiting to pounce.
- lurk in the shadows and pounce
- lurking in the shadows, waiting
- still lurking in the shadows
I think he, I believe he still believes it, but I think he's deeply suspicious of the corruption that lurks in the shadows.
- I think he, I believe he still believes it, but I think he's deeply suspicious of the corruption that lurks in the shadows.
- No one will notice, and we won't, unless it's also very dark, at which point there will be something nasty lurking in the shadows.
Examples
-
They're supernatural beings that come from the spirit realm, forms of darkness that lurk in the shadows.
-
The killer's car, the black IMPERIAL, lurks in the shadows of a suburban street.
Fiction book (2000) -
However, the Red Army was lurking in the shadows.
-
Night a man lurks in the shadows ahead of Jack.
Fiction book (1998) -
You don't want to know what lurks in the shadows.
Academic text (2011) -
Jim lurks in the shadows of the trees; he's been standing outside watching...
Fiction book (1991) -
Sometimes it's actually good to worry, especially if there's a real danger lurking in the shadows.
Blog text (6) -
He's down there somewhere, lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce.
-
Lurking in the shadows of ramrod-straight pines is the shape that paces you at the side of the road, growling.
Academic text (2011) -
As the campfire flickered, he felt eyes watching him, knowing that something was lurking in the shadows.
Synonyms
104
5.5
To stay hidden and move secretly to watch or frighten people
76
5.6
To stay in a secret place to avoid danger or trouble
1
8.6
To hide and move quietly in dark places to avoid being seen
Antonyms
How Stealthy
8
6.8
- Informal
3
5.2
3
7.6
26
5.4
- Informal
407
2.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
Each component contributes directly to the overall meaning: 'lurk' already means to remain concealed or move stealthily, and 'in the shadows' specifies the hidden location ('in' + 'shadow(s)'). This composition is literal and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily understand the phrase.
Etymology
Lurk in the shadows comes from the image of a person or animal quietly hiding in dark places, with lurk meaning to wait without being seen and shadows meaning the dark spots where they hide. People used this picture to show someone staying out of sight and watching, often with a secret or bad plan. So, lurk in the shadows means 'to remain hidden, often to watch or wait in a secret or suspicious way'.