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to skeez around

to skeez around

9.9
To move around in a secret or awkward way that makes people suspicious
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : moverse sigilosamente
  • Every time there’s trouble, he seems to skeez around looking for gossip.

Examples

  • Stop skeezing around and just tell us what you want!

  • She always skeezes around the office.

  • She caught the cat skeezing around the kitchen, obviously up to no good.

  • Don't skeez around like that!

  • He was so nervous during the interview that he kept skeezing around in his chair.

  • Instead of being honest, she decided to skeez around and avoid the real issue.

  • The children were skeezing around the house, trying to sneak a look at their presents.

Synonyms

to creep
vsto skeez around
155 2.5

To move slowly and quietly with the body low to the ground

is sneaky but more awkward and likely to draw negative attention
to skulk
vsto skeez around
20 7.7

To move or act quietly to avoid being noticed

is sneaky yet awkward and often draws negative attention
to pussyfoot
vsto skeez around
  • Informal
8.9

To move quietly and carefully to avoid being noticed

is sneaky yet awkward and can attract negative attention

How Sneaky

to sneak away
  • Informal
17 3.6
to skulk
20 7.7
to skeez around
  • Informal
9.9
to creep
155 2.5
to loiter
26 5.4
to hang around
  • Informal
407 2.0

Surface Forms

skeez around infinitive
skeezing around present participle
skeezes around third person singular
skeezed around past participle

Morphology

skeez + around

The verb 'skeez' is not a recognized lexical item in standard dictionaries, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituents cannot infer its meaning; 'around' only signals vague movement and does not supply the missing semantic content. The phrase appears slangy/idiomatic, and the overall sense ('move about in a sneaky or awkward manner') is not transparently built from the parts, making it unpredictable to learners.

Etymology

Skeez around may come from the picture of someone slipping close to the walls, doing a small, sneaky move (skeez) and moving around the room like a spy or a mouse. So, the phrase now means 'to move about in a sneaky or awkward way that draws negative attention'.