the creeps

Idioms  

1. Also, the willies. A sensation of horror or repugnance, as in That weird man gives me the creeps, or I get the willies when I hear that dirge music. The first of these colloquial terms alludes to a sensation of something crawling on one's skin. Charles Dickens used it in David Copperfield (1849) to describe a physical ailment: “She was constantly complaining of the cold and of its occasioning a visitation in her back, which she called ‘the creeps.’” But soon after it was used to describe fear and loathing. The variant dates from the late 1800s, and both its allusion and origin are unclear.

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Example Sentences

If an out-of-control clown gives you the creeps, check out the crowd in cartoon masks meant to disguise evil.

From Los Angeles Times

“I’m looking at this from a prosecutor’s standpoint — this bill strengthens California law and gives us the felony hammer to prosecute the creeps that are preying on teenagers,” she said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times

“It was 24 hours a day of worrying, trying to keep the creeps away. Fame and money in rock-and-roll — it’s all a very dangerous area to live in.”

From Los Angeles Times

Now Crawley is up against a New Zealand team that gives him the creeps.

From BBC

Through her, women can feel like they're laughing in the faces of the creeps and weirdoes who want to take away their freedom and happiness.

From Salon