blue crab

noun

1. an edible crab, Callinectes sapidus, having a dark green body and bluish legs, found along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America.

Word History and Origins

Origin of blue crab¹

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Example Sentences

The last stop was a crab trap, where they learned how to hold a blue crab by its rear paddle fins so it couldn’t pinch them.

From Washington Post

Stone crabsStone Crabs are common in all Gulf Coast States—though not as widely distributed as blue crabs—from North Florida through Georgia and into South Carolina.

From Popular-Science

At length, fixing his eye on a blue crab-eater, he fired, and the bird fell to the ground.

From Project Gutenberg

Another edible crustacean of considerable economic importance is the blue crab.

From Project Gutenberg

Just as she had ordered the others to do, Louise now scooped up her net, and in came a good sized blue crab.

From Project Gutenberg

This species is supplied to the Newport market, where it is considered preferable to the blue crab.

From Project Gutenberg

Then there is the edible crab, or blue crab, which is common on many parts of our coasts.

From Project Gutenberg