crab
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catch a crab
To make a poor stroke while rowing, perhaps by missing the water entirely. The boat jerked as I caught a crab with my oar.
crab mentality
A negative, selfish mentality characterized by a preference for others not to get ahead of or do better than oneself. It alludes to a phenomenon of a group of crabs in a pot, in which an escaping crab is pulled back down by the others so that none escape in the end. She dreamt of going to college and beginning a better life, but her parents' and friends' crab mentality constantly discouraged her from leaving the sordid life in which they were entrenched.
draw the crabs
"Crabs" refers to "crab shells," perhaps a pun on the shells of bullets and artillery. Primarily heard in Australia.
1. military slang To cause an enemy to fire at one; to draw fire. Stay low so they can't see you. You don't want to draw the crabs and get yourself killed!
2. informal By extension, to attract unwanted attention. The celebrity wore a floppy hat and big sunglasses at the local coffee shop in an attempt to avoid drawing the crabs. It didn’t work, though—a crowd flocked to her almost immediately.
old crab
An eccentric or irritable older person, especially one whose views or attitudes are considered boring or old-fashioned. Ah, don't mind that old crab. He's just set in her ways. I've fully embraced that I'm going to be a grumpy old crab by the time I'm in my 60s.
you cannot make a crab walk straight
proverb There is no point trying to accomplish something that is not actually possible. (Crabs are known for walking sideways.) Why are you try to teach her this game when she clearly isn't interested? You cannot make a crab walk straight, you know. A: "Billy's trying to mix oil and water again." B: "Oh boy. Someone needs to tell him that you can't make a crab walk straight."
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
catch a crab
(in rowing) effect a faulty stroke in which the oar is jammed under water or misses the water altogether.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
crab
n. a louse. (Usually plural.) He’s scratching like he’s got crabs.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.