Dear to whom may it concern,
Is of ‘sneak peek’ a clear definition? I know the meaning of them separately but I heard it in the movie in this reason I ask it.
Sincerely yours
Mitra
A ‘sneak peek’ is an advance showing of a trailer for a film or similar, before the whole thing is released for public viewing.
A “sneak peek” basically means that you take a quick look at something when you’re not supposed to. The idea is that you have to sneak somewhere to see it. So a 13-year-old boy might take a sneak peek at a neighbor girl from outside her family’s window. Maybe someone is not supposed to read some documents at his job, but when no one is looking he takes a sneak peek at them.
That’s the basic meaning of “sneak peek”. The meaning of an advance showing of some kind of entertainment is only a secondary meaning.
For 'quick look at something you aren’t supposed to see, I would use ‘sneaky peek’ or ‘sneak a peek at…’.
Wictionary agrees with me about the meaning of ‘sneak peek’ as a ‘trailer teaser’. I firmly believe that this is the most common meaning nowadays.
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sneak_peek
wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_sneak_peek_means
We don’t use “sneaky peek”, and I’ve never heard it.
Regardless of what the wikis say, the basic meaning is peeking at anything you have to sneak at. It’s used for movie trailers and even full showings of the movie to make it seem somewhat clandestine to the audience, rather than like the corporate promotion it actually is, but that’s far from the only or most common use of the term.
When I worked at magazines, it was common for the writers to mention sneak peeks at almost anything, including a sneak peek at next year’s tax code. Car magazines publish sneak peeks at unreleased car models. Generally the photographers have to take them through a hole in a fence, or else they just take a shot of the car when it’s in street camouflage.
Once Playboy was doing auditions in a hotel room across the street from one of the skyscrapers I worked in, and two writers had a telescope set up on a desk, so that they and others could occasionally sneak peeks at the models.
Bev, you used the term ‘public viewing’. I used to think that this an expression that is used only in connection with a funeral. Apparently, you use ‘public viewing’ for other situations too?
Many thanks,
Torsten[YSaerTTEW443543]
TOEIC listening, photographs: Queuing for propane gas[YSaerTTEW443543]
It is certainly connected with the idea of a funeral (open coffin lid) but it has many other uses:
The term ‘a public viewing’ can be used as opposed to a ‘private showing’ or an ‘exclusive premiere’ of films, DVDs, shows, games, etc.
I think its use above was more accidental though. I wasn’t thinking of it as a two word term… just as a viewing by the general public.
I would argue that there it isn’t a single term…
You would sneak /peeks/ at the models.
You would steal / furtive glances / at the models.
Stealing furtive glance at the models sounds like the person is in love with the cars. I don’t think most people feel romantic toward cars.
Heh heh! I’m not certain that ‘romantic’ would be the best adjective to use to describe the feelings of adolescent boys when they are looking at scantily clad models either! ;D
(I’ve never been a boy… but I have it on good authority!)
I didn’t mean models, I meant cars – next year’s models, like the 2012 Ford Escape.
Oh yes, of course. Because that’s what everyone buys Playboy for, isn’t it?
LOL