In the Patricia Wentworth novel, The Case Is Closed, we find a woman described as "a dithery dreep." That was a new one to me. "Dithery" means "indecisive." "Dreep" is a British variant of "drip." As a verb it means "to lower oneself from a height and drop the remaining distance."
It is not completely clear to me how the phrase was used by Wentworth, but it definitely was not complimentary. Here is the complete section:
"Not that she thought Mrs. Mercer had shot James Everton. She was a dithery dreep of a woman, and she wouldn't have the nerve to shoot a guinea pig. Hilary simply couldn't believe in her firing a pistol at her employer. A dreep is and remains a dreep. It doesn't suddenly become a cool plotting assassin."
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