A person who secretly watches others, especially for sexual gratification. This term, first recorded in 1796, alludes to the legend of tailor Tom, the only one to watch the naked Lady Godiva as she rode by and who was struck blind for doing so. Many localities have “peeping Tom laws,” ordinances usually based on principles of invading privacy. The traditional peeping Tom involves a man peering through a window into a private dwelling, but today’s advanced technology may involve a spy camera, telescope, or hidden recording equipment observing someone remotely. The Athens Banner-Herald reported police were looking for a peeping Tom who spied on a fifteen-year-old girl, standing on a five-gallon bucket to peep through a crack in the girl’s mini-blinds (July 26, 2010). The British Sunday Mirror reported a case of a landlord spying on girl tenants in their bathroom via sophisticated recording equipment that taped all their actions (August 16, 1998).