(onomatopoeic) Representing a scream or shriek (especially in comic strips and books).
Eek! There's a mouse in the bathtub!
(onomatopoeic) Expressing (sometimes mock) fear or surprise.
I almost got fired from my job yesterday. Eek!
(onomatopoeic) Representing the shrill vocal sound of a mouse, rat, or monkey.
Translations (6)
es alalao (scream or shriek) · es chirrido (scream or shriek) · fr hiii (scream or shriek) · es alalay (scream or shriek) · fi iik (scream or shriek) · es alalau (scream or shriek)
(onomatopoeic) A high-pitched squeal, as in fear or trepidation.
He tried desperately to read into Le Chiffre's face what was happening behind him, but all he saw was blind incomprehension and terror. Le Chiffre's mouth worked, but only a high-pitched ‘eek’ came from it. His heavy cheeks trembled as he tried to collect enough saliva in his mouth to say something, ask something. 1953, Ian Fleming, “A Crag-like Face”, in Casino Royale, London: Pan Books, published 1955, page 128:
(onomatopoeic) To produce a high-pitched squeal, as in fear or trepidation.
We saw a frog and she eeked in terror again from the sight of it hopping near her. 2011, Isaac E. Washington, The Stars in My Dreams, page 106:
She was dangling the mouse by its tail, but as it tried to arch upwards and bite, she started to jig about wildly […] The anglers had watched a beautiful young woman dance naked beneath a full moon to the feverish rhythm of unworldly eeking noises! 2009, Paul Gelder, Yachting Monthly's Further Confessions:
“Sorry, love, they all look the same to me,” said Dad, desperately trying to spot one with a particularly pink nose. “Armitage? ARMITAGE!” called Zoe. All the rats eeked. Every single one of them wanted to escape.
“We’ll just have to set them all free,” said Zoe. 2012, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Ratburger, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN:
(ethnic, offensive, onomatopoeic, slang, slur) Of a black person, to speak nonsense or gibberish.
Clipping of ecaf (“face”), from face via backslang.
Meanings
(Polari, onomatopoeic) A face.
How bona to vada your eek!
[H]e plonked his corybungus down and turned his eek to the driver. 2021, Daren Kay, “Twinkle, twinkle, little star”, in The Brightonians (ebook):
Though she's a bimbo bit of hard, / she’s royal and tart. And girl, you know / vadaing her eek is always bona. 2015 October 12, Adam Lowe, “Poem of the week: Vada That”, in The Guardian:
You have your Elizabeth Taylor done in half-tones, reclining on this chaise longue – that’s your actual French – decollete down to her ankles, with a wanton look all over her eek. 1966, Barry Took, Marty Feldman, Round the Horne, season 2, spoken by either Julian or Sandy (either Hugh Paddick or Kenneth Williams):