Peeping TomMy Caucasian friend with a Chinese husband shared a cute remark that her husband made: "I suspect in that building across from us there are many peeking toms".
That got me thinking. What's the difference between "peep" and "peek"? So, here's what I found:
Peek: look quickly, typically in a furtive manner
Peep: look quickly and furtively at something, especially through a narrow opening
Slight difference between the two words. No wonder they're called "Peeping Toms" and not "Peeking Toms". Peeping Toms are peering through a narrow opening, while a Peeking Tom could be looking from a distance or from around a corner. All that said, my friend's husband is not wrong in his word usage. After all, if a man is looking across a building into someone's hotel room, it isn't a narrow opening! He might never get caught either, being that he's so far away.
The English language is full of phrases and sayings that easily confuse the learner. I've been speaking and writing English all my life, yet I still find out new meanings of phrases, like this one mentioned above. Sometimes it takes a non-native speaker to make our speech and language all the more colourful. So, let's colour our world with our unique brand of English!
Enjoy your language learning journey!
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