Peeping Tom nounEtymology:Peeping Tom, legendary citizen of Coventry who
watched Lady Godiva riding naked Date: circa 1796
a pruriently prying person ;voyeur • Peeping Tomismnoun
Peeping Tom
(Peeping Toms)
If you refer to someone as a Peeping Tom, you mean that they secretly watch other
people, especially when those people are taking their clothes off.
= voyeur
N-COUNT [disapproval]
PEEPING TOM
A nick name for a curious prying fellow;
derived from an old legendary tale, told of a taylor of
Coventry, who, when Godiva countess of Chester rode at
noon quite naked through that town, in order to procure
certain immunities for the inhabitants, (notwithstanding
the rest of the people shut up their houses) shly peeped
out of his window, for which he was miraculously struck
blind. His figure, peeping out of a window, is still kept
up in remembrance of the transaction.
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