hard-shell crab

noun

1. a crab, especially an edible crab, that has not recently molted and has a hard shell.

hard-shell crab

noun

1. a crab, esp of the edible species Cancer pagurus, that has not recently moulted and therefore has a hard shell Compare soft-shell crab

Word History and Origins

Origin of hard-shell crab¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

It's a risky lifestyle: "If the snakes are small enough, and attack a hard-shell crab instead of a softshell crab, instead of getting dinner, they may become dinner," he says.

From National Geographic

He was a florid, handsome old Scotchman, orthodox in religion, shrewd in business, correct in conduct, but with no more sentiment than a hard-shell crab, and obstinate as the devil.

From Project Gutenberg