English

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Etymology

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So called because the vehicle creeps in the mechanical sense of that word: it moves very slowly, such that a person on foot can outwalk it, for example.

Noun

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creeper gear (uncountable)

  1. (automotive, trucking, agriculture, heavy industry) The lowest gear on a vehicle: especially, a dedicated super-low gear, available in some trucks and tractors, that is even lower than the usual low gear, which is labeled as first gear.
    Synonyms: granny gear; LO (as labeled on some gear levers)
    Coordinate terms: first gear; second gear, third gear, fourth gear, fifth gear; top gear, overdrive; angel gear, neutral
    Near-synonym: low gear