crawler
/'krɔ:lə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A terrestrial worm that burrows into and helps aerate soil; often surfaces when the ground is cool or wet; used as bait by anglers: A type of worm, such as an earthworm or nightcrawler, commonly used for fishing.
- A person who crawls or creeps along the ground: Literally, someone moving on their hands and knees or in a prone position.
- A person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage: A derogatory term for someone who behaves in a servile or obsequious manner to curry favor.
Examples of Usage
- Noun (Worm):
- The fisherman dug for crawlers in the damp soil.
- After the rain, the lawn was covered with crawlers.
- Noun (Person who crawls):
- The baby was a fast crawler, moving from room to room.
- The soldier advanced as a crawler through the muddy trench.
- Noun (Servile person):
- He was nothing but a crawler, always agreeing with the boss to get a promotion.
- She refused to be a crawler and spoke her mind honestly.
Advanced Usage
- "Social crawler": (Informal) A person who excessively flatters or ingratiates themselves within social circles to gain status or acceptance.
- He was known as a social crawler, always complimenting the most popular people at the party.
Variants and Related Words
- Crawl (verb): To move on hands and knees; to behave obsequiously.
- The baby learned to crawl.
- He would crawl to anyone in authority.
- Crawling (noun/adj): The action of moving on hands and knees; (of a place) full of people or things.
- The crawling of infants is an important developmental stage.
- The market was crawling with tourists.
Synonyms
- For the worm: Earthworm, nightcrawler, angleworm.
- For the servile person: Sycophant, toady, bootlicker, fawner, flatterer.
Related Phrasal Verbs/Phrases
- Crawl to someone: To behave in a very humble or flattering way towards someone to gain their favor.
- He's always crawling to the manager, hoping for special treatment.
Related Idioms
- Crawl out of the woodwork: (Of people) to appear suddenly and in large numbers, especially when they are unwanted.
- After he won the lottery, old acquaintances began to crawl out of the woodwork.
- Make someone's skin crawl: To cause someone to feel disgust, fear, or extreme discomfort.
- The way he lies so smoothly makes my skin crawl.
Noun
- terrestrial worm that burrows into and helps aerate soil; often surfaces when the ground is cool or wet; used as bait by anglers
- a person who crawls or creeps along the ground
- a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage