Question of the Day #314

"Trump portrait: you couldn’t create a creepier Yuletide scene if you tried"
From the headline of this article at The Guardian.

上記の文で、creepier の意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "creepier" mean?

答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

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解答

意味：
Creepierは、creepyの活用形です。 英辞郎によると、


1. 〔虫が〕はい回る
2. むずむずする、ゾクゾクする、身の毛のよだつような、気味悪い、ゾッとする

この場合は、当然2番ですが、2番の意味は多くの人が1番の「〔虫が〕はい回る」様子を気持ち悪がることからきています。
活用は、creepy, creepier, creepiestです。

ちなみに、英語圏の人がコーヒー用の「森永クリープ」(Creap)を気持ち悪がる理由は、creepと同じ発音と似た綴りだからです。

Answer

"Creepier" is, of course, a form of "creepy." According to Merriam-Webster:

1. producing a nervous shivery apprehension
2. of, relating to, or being a creep : annoyingly unpleasant

Although both definitions seem to fit this headline, I think I'll go with definition 1. For what it's worth, there is a Japanese powdered creamer called Creap of all things. Needless to say, it is not popular with English-speaking foreigners.

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

「這う様子」の意味は、1794から。「肌に虫が這うような感じ」は1831年から、また現在使われているこのような「ゾクゾクする、身の毛のよだつような」雰囲気は1858年から。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

1794, "characterized by creeping," from creep + -y (2). Meaning "having a creeping feeling in the flesh" is from 1831; that of producing such a feeling, the main modern sense, is from 1858.

Examples

• The snakelike branches overhead were creepier when she could see them in daylight, and the few birds and insects she saw made her shudder.
• Rees described the novel as "a creepier book than people think. — The Long Goodbye (novel)
• After they head back to their cabin and night sets in, things become even creepier. — Villmark
• "Entertainment Weekly" gave the film a B- rating, calling the film "trash, but creepier than you expect. — House on Haunted Hill (1999 film)
• ...Lilith should be a woman or little girl, with the writers eventually settling on the latter because they found it creepier. — Supernatural (season 3)