crab·bed
(krăb́ĭd)
[Middle English, from crabbe, crab (influenced by crab2); see crab1.]
adjective
- Irritable and perverse in disposition; ill-tempered.
- Difficult to understand; complicated.
- Difficult to read; cramped: crabbed handwriting.
derivatives
- crab́bed·ly
- adverb
- crab́bed·ness
- noun
crab
1 (krăb)
[Middle English crabbe, from Old English crabba.]
noun
- Any of various predominantly marine crustaceans of the division Brachyura within the order Decapoda, characterized by a broad flattened cephalothorax covered by a hard carapace with a small abdomen concealed beneath it, short antennae, and five pairs of legs, of which the anterior pair are large and pincerlike.
- Any of various similar related crustaceans, such as the hermit crab or king crab.
- A horseshoe crab.
- A crab louse.
- crabs. Slang Infestation by crab lice.
- The maneuvering of an aircraft partially into a crosswind to compensate for drift.
- A machine for handling or hoisting heavy weights.
verb: crabbed, crab·bing, crabs.
intransitive verb
- To hunt or catch crabs.
- To scurry sideways in the manner of a crab.
- To drift diagonally or sideways, especially when under tow.
- To direct an aircraft into a crosswind.
transitive verb
- To direct (an aircraft) partly into a crosswind to eliminate drift.
- To cause to move or scurry sideways.
idioms
- catch a crab
- To make a faulty stroke in rowing that causes the blade of the oar to strike the water on the recovery stroke.
derivatives
- crab·ber
- noun
crab
2 (krăb)
[Middle English crabbe, possibly from crabbe, crab (shellfish); see crab1.]
noun
- A crab apple tree or its fruit.
- A quarrelsome, ill-tempered person.
verb: crabbed, crab·bing, crabs.
intransitive verb
Informal
- To find fault; criticize someone or something.
transitive verb
- Informal To interfere with and ruin; spoil.
- Informal To find fault with; complain about.
- To make ill-tempered or sullen.
derivatives
- crab́ber
- noun
