I was really enjoying this article, which is intelligently written (even though it's obvious the author has made up their mind and is trying to convince me, I h

I was really enjoying this article, which is intelligently written (even though it's obvious the author has made up their mind and is trying to convince me, I happen to agree with them). That is until this line: > From its inception in the mid-1800s, margarine had always been considered creepers, a freakish substitute for people who couldn’t afford real butter. When did "creepers" become a word journalists can use in a non-ironic way?