have a sneaking feeling/suspicion/admirationSUSPECTto have a feeling about something or someone, but to not say anything about it because you are not sure or you might be embarrassed 隐隐觉得/暗中怀疑/暗地钦佩
I always had a sneaking admiration for him.
我一直暗暗地钦佩他。
She had a sneaking suspicion that he was lying.
她暗中怀疑他在说谎。
Examples from the Corpus
sneaking• I even have a sneakingaffection for the man.• It's true - he does have some sneakingfaith in poets as being fundamentally decent people.• I had a sneaking feeling he'd do well at Scum, Hughes is the idealpartner for him.• Still, she had a sneaking hope that as she'd reached her lowestebb, the tide might turn.• He did have a sneakingrespect for Yanto however.• I have the sneakingsuspicion, fuelled by the clothes my parents packed, that they knew anyway.• She had a sneaking suspicion that she knew why the men had not given up their seats.