fiddler crab

American  

noun

1. any small, burrowing crab of the genus Uca, characterized by one greatly enlarged claw in the male.

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fiddler crab British  

noun

1. 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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Etymology

Origin of fiddler crab

An Americanism dating back to 1700–10

Example Sentences

“The fiddler crab scuttles across the cold sand. Overhead, a gull leans on one wing.”

From New York Times • Sep. 17, 2022

Bebop in particular produced more than one generation of players with a powerful right hand and a subordinate left hand: the piano-playing equivalent of a fiddler crab.

From New York Times • Jul. 2, 2011

The fiddler crab is not the only creature of tidal marsh and estuary to be threatened by pesticides; others of more obvious importance to man are endangered.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

The fiddler crab, that small and picturesque crustacean whose hordes move over mud flats or sand flats like grazing cattle, has no defense against the sprayers.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

The place of the fiddler crab in the ecology of the world it inhabits is a necessary one, not easily filled.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson