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fiddler crab
noun
- any small, burrowing crab of the genus Uca, characterized by one greatly enlarged claw in the male.
fiddler crab
noun
- any of various burrowing crabs of the genus Uca of American coastal regions, the males of which have one of their anterior pincer-like claws very much enlarged
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Word History and Origins
Origin of fiddler crab1
An Americanism dating back to 1700–10
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Word History and Origins
Origin of fiddler crab1
C19: referring to the rapid fiddling movement of the enlarged anterior claw of the males, used to attract females
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Example Sentences
“The fiddler crab scuttles across the cold sand. Overhead, a gull leans on one wing.”
From New York Times
When fiddler crab burrows were tucked among the vegetation, little extra gas was released.
From Science Magazine
Q. What is a fiddler crab’s life like?
From New York Times
For the neck to be a primarily sexual characteristic, it would need to be larger in males than in females, like a fiddler crab’s fiddle claw—but it isn’t.
From The New Yorker
The place of the fiddler crab in the ecology of the world it inhabits is a necessary one, not easily filled.
From Literature
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