Crab



GRE TOEFL

解释

GRE 红宝书

• n. 蟹;v. 抱怨, 挑剔
• ［英］ n. 蟹 ( ten-legged shellfish) ; v. 抱怨, 挑剔 ( complain, grumble)
• ［例］ The boss is always crabbing about my work.

Webster Collegiate

I. noun

• Usage: often attributive
• Etymology: Middle English crabbe, from Old English crabba; akin to Old High German krebiz crab and perhaps to Old English ceorfan to carve — more at carve
• Date: before 12th century
• 1. plural crabs also crab any of numerous chiefly marine broadly built decapod crustaceans:
  • a. any of an infraorder (Brachyura) with a short broad usually flattened carapace, a small abdomen that curls forward beneath the body, short antennae, and the anterior pair of limbs modified as grasping pincers
  • b. any of various crustaceans of an infraorder (Anomura) resembling true crabs in the more or less reduced condition of the abdomen
• 2. capitalized cancer 1
• 3. plural infestation with crab lice
• 4. the angular difference between an aircraft's course and the heading necessary to make that course in the presence of a crosswind

II. verb (crabbed; crabbing)

• Date: 1657
• intransitive verb
  • 1. to fish for crabs
  • 2.
    • a.
      • (1) to move sideways indirectly or diagonally
      • (2) to crab an airplane
    • b. to scuttle or scurry sideways
• transitive verb
  • 1. to cause to move sideways or in an indirect or diagonal manner; specifically to head (an airplane) into a crosswind to counteract drift
  • 2. to subject to crabbing
• ? crabber noun

III. noun

• Etymology: Middle English crabbe, perhaps from crabbe ［sup］1［/sup］crab
• Date: 14th century
• crab apple

IV. noun

• Date: 1580
• an ill-tempered person ; grouch

V. verb (crabbed; crabbing)

• Etymology: Middle English crabben, probably back-formation from crabbed
• Date: 1662
• transitive verb
  • 1. to make sullen ; sour <old age has crabbed his nature
  • 2. to complain about peevishly
  • 3. spoil, ruin
• intransitive verb
  • carp, grouse lways crabs about the weather
• ? crabber noun

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