Peeping Tom
10
9.9
- noun
- /ˈpiːpɪŋ tɑm/
- NSFW
:
mirón
- Why, lookie here - a peeping Tom.
Speaking of something spooky or spooky related, do you remember the peeping Tom that we had?
- Speaking of something spooky or spooky related, do you remember the peeping Tom that we had?
- A court in Boston ruled that taking unsolicited upskirt photos of strangers does not violate Massachusetts Peeping Tom law.
- Why can't they just be like, just like in like, invade peeping Toms and shit?
Examples
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No, he's a Peeping Tom.
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- Well, you were being a Peeping Tom.
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And in a court of law, that person would be considered a peeping Tom.
Blog text (26) -
"Maybe Cross is a peeping Tom, Johnny."
Fiction book (1995) -
Got us a peeping Tom here, Mackey.
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I can't abide a peeping Tom.
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I had certainly been seen, and wouldn't I be reported now as a prowler, a peeping Tom?
Fiction book (1993) -
Don't need any peeping Tom at the boutique!
Blog text (34) -
Americans have "turned into a nation of peeping Toms," his nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter) laments.
Academic text (1999) -
A woman reported that she saw a Peeping Tom watching her through the window.
Synonyms
19
9.1
A person who watches other people when they are naked or having sex, usually secretly
4
9.3
A person who secretly watches others without their knowledge
1
9.9
A person who looks at others in a sexual way and makes them uncomfortable
How Leering
Surface Forms
Morphology
peep + Tom
The core meaning 'a man who secretly watches/peeks' is directly derivable from combining 'peep' (to look quickly and secretly) with 'Tom' as a generic male name, so a learner who knows both words can infer the phrase. While there is extra cultural background (the Lady Godiva story) and a sexual/voyeuristic nuance sometimes implied, these do not prevent a B1 learner from understanding the basic meaning from the constituents.
Etymology
Peeping Tom comes from an old story in England about Lady Godiva. One popular story says a man called Tom could not stop himself and peeped at Lady Godiva as she rode through the town. That's why today Peeping Tom means someone who 'secretly watches' other people.