[-ING1.]
1. The action of moving on the ground, as a reptile, or a human being on hands and knees.
a. 700. Epinal Gloss., 696. Obreptione, criopungae.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 101. Crepynge, repcio, reptura.
1580. Hollyband, Treas. Fr. Tong, Rampement … sur terre, a raumping or creeping on the ground.
1813. L. Hunt, in Examiner, 18 April, 242/2. Creepings in dust and wadings through mire.
† b. Creeping to the Cross: see CREEP v. 1 c.
15[?]. in Boorde, Introd. Knowl. (1870), Introd. 92. The Order of the Kinge, on Good Friday, touchinge the … creepinge to the Crosse.
1511. Will of Osborn (Somerset Ho.). At the tyme of the creping of the crosse.
1583. Babington, Commandm., ii. Wks. (1637), 23. With crossings and creepings, Paxes and Beads.
2. transf. and fig. The action of moving slowly, stealthily, or in a servile manner.
1565. T. Stapleton, Fortr. Faith, 153. The creping in of these cancred heresies.
1665. Boyle, Occas. Refl., Introd. Pref. (1675), 22. A Writer in some cases may be allowed to … forbear Soaring, as well as avoid Creeping.
1736. Neal, Hist. Purit., III. 463. After great creepings and cringings to Archbishop Laud, he became his creature.
1840. Thackeray, Catherine, xi. The man was well fitted for the creeping and niggling of his dastardly trade.
3. The sensation as of something creeping on the skin; cf. FORMICATION.
1799. Mad. D’Arblay, Lett., 25 July. Your creepings are surely the effect of overlabour of the brain.
1855. Robinson, Whitby Gloss., Creepings, cold shivery sensations.
1879. B. Taylor, Stud. Germ. Lit., 362. We feel a creeping of the nerves.
4. Dragging with creepers or grapnels.
1886. Pall Mall Gaz., 7 Sept., 2/1. When they [ironclads] attempted to follow up the clearance effected by creeping and countermining, and to make the passage of the channel.
5. In Canada: Stalking the Moose-deer, etc.
1869. C. Hardy, Forest Life Acadie, vi. 134. At the present day the animal [Cariboo] is shot by stalking or ‘creeping’ as it is locally termed, that is, advancing stealthily and in the footsteps of the Indian.
1879. Ld. Dunraven, in 19th Cent., July, 60. Creeping or ‘still hunting’ as it would be termed in the States is as nearly as possible equivalent to the ordinary deer-stalking.
6. Comb. creeping-hole = CREEP-HOLE; creeping-sheet (see quot.).
1665. J. Webb, Stone-Heng (1725), 204. The Works of greatest Magnificence … this Doctor talks of, extended to no more than … a creeping Hole at best.
1849. Sk. Nat. Hist., Mammalia, IV. 72. Each burrow [of the hamster] has at least two openings, one descends obliquely, the other perpendicularly. The former is termed the ‘creeping-hole.’
1874. Knight, Dict. Mech., Creeping-sheet. The feeding-apron of a carding-machine.
