English idiom

give someone the creeps

Register · Neutral CEFR B2

Post

Figurative meaning

To make someone feel distinctly uneasy, frightened, or repelled.

Word picture

Fear is pictured as an unpleasant crawling sensation moving over the body.

Example

“The empty playground at midnight gives me the creeps.”

Dictionary details

Tags

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

blow off steam

to release pent-up energy or emotion through some activity

can of worms

a complicated problem that causes trouble the moment it is touched

cut loose

to abandon restraint and behave freely or wildly

domino effect

a chain reaction in which one event triggers a series of similar events

drive someone up the wall

to make someone feel extremely annoyed or frustrated

get on someone's nerves

to repeatedly irritate or annoy someone

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

External links

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