crablike.html - n.
1 a any of numerous ten-footed crustaceans having the first pair of legs modified as pincers. b the flesh of a crab, esp. Cancer pagurus, as food.
2 (the Crab) the zodiacal sign or constellation Cancer.
3 (in full crab-louse) (often in pl.) a parasitic louse, Phthirus pubis, infesting hairy parts of the body and causing extreme irritation.
4 a machine for hoisting heavy weights.

catch a crab Rowing effect a faulty stroke in which the oar is jammed under water or misses the water altogether. crab-grass US a creeping grass infesting lawns. crab-pot a wicker trap for crabs.

crablike adj. [OE crabba, rel. to ON krafla scratch]

crablike.html - n.
1 (in full crab-apple) a small sour apple-like fruit.
2 (in full crab tree or crab-apple tree) any of several trees bearing this fruit.
3 a sour person. [ME, perh. alt. (after CRAB(1) or CRABBED) of earlier scrab, prob. of Scand. orig.]

crablike.html - v.
(crabbed, crabbing) colloq.
1 tr. & intr. criticize adversely or captiously; grumble.
2 tr. act so as to spoil (the mistake crabbed his chances). [orig. of hawks fighting, f. MLG krabben]

crablike.html - adj.
1 irritable or morose.
2 (of handwriting) ill-formed and hard to decipher.
3 perverse or cross-grained.
4 difficult to understand.

crabbedly adv. crabbedness n. [ME f. CRAB(1), assoc. with CRAB(2)]

crablike.html - adj.
(crabbier, crabbiest) = CRABBED 1, 3.

crabbily adv. crabbiness n.

crablike.html - adv. &
attrib.adj. (of movement) sideways or backwards like a crab.