Definition of "crab"
- noun
A crustacean of the infraorder Brachyura, having five pairs of legs, the foremost of which are in the form of claws, and a carapace.
A bad-tempered person.
An infestation of pubic lice.
A playing card with the rank of three.
Short for carabiner.
A position in rowing where the oar is pushed under the rigger by the force of the water.
A defect in an outwardly normal object that may render it inconvenient and troublesome to use.
The crab apple or wild apple.
The tree bearing crab apples, which has a dogbane-like bitter bark with medical use.
The tree species Carapa guianensis, native of South America.
- verb
To fish for crabs.
To ruin.
To complain.
(by analogy with the movement of a crab) To move sideways of an aircraft, such as a glider.
(by analogy with the movement of a crab) To navigate (an aircraft, e.g. a glider) sideways against an air current in order to maintain a straight-line course.
, to fly slightly off the straight-line course towards an enemy aircraft, as the machine guns on early aircraft did not allow firing through the propeller disk.
To back out of something.
To irritate, make surly or sour.
To be ill-tempered; to complain or find fault.
To cudgel or beat, as with a crabstick.
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