crabs

1. a crustacean, found chiefly on seashores, with a broad carapace, stalked eyes, and five pairs of legs, the first pair of which are modified as pincers.
2. a louse that infests human body hair, especially in the genital region, causing extreme irritation.
3. a machine for picking up and lifting heavy weights.

1. move sideways or obliquely.

   he began crabbing sideways across the roof

2. fish for crabs.

   watermen were crabbing on the bay

Old English crabba, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch krabbe, and more distantly to Dutch kreeft and German Krebs ; also to crab³.

plural noun

short for crab apple.

1. grumble about something petty.

   on picnics, I would crab about sand in my food

2. act so as to spoil (something).

   you're trying to crab my act

late 16th century (referring to hawks, meaning ‘claw or fight each other’): from Low German krabben ; related to crab¹.

1. a small sour apple.
2. the small tree that bears the crab apple.

late Middle English: crab perhaps an alteration (influenced by crab¹ or crabbed) of Scots and northern English scrab, in the same sense, probably of Scandinavian origin.