CRAWFISH

crayfish, crawfish, crawdad, crawdaddy

(noun) small freshwater decapod crustacean that resembles a lobster

crayfish, crawfish, crawdad, ecrevisse

(noun) tiny lobster-like crustaceans usually boiled briefly

retreat, pull back, back out, back away, crawfish, crawfish out, pull in one's horns, withdraw

(verb) make a retreat from an earlier commitment or activity; “We’ll have to crawfish out from meeting with him”; “He backed out of his earlier promise”; “The aggressive investment company pulled in its horns”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

crawfish (countable and uncountable, plural crawfishes or crawfish)

(Southern US, Midwest US and Western US) Various freshwater crustaceans, crayfish.

(South Africa) Various marine crustaceans, rock lobster; especially Jasus lalandii, the Cape crawfish.

(Quebec, Canada, slang, derogatory) A slur against Anglo-Canadians used in some corners of Quebec (including the Gaspé).

Synonyms

• (freshwater crustaceans): crawdad, crawldad, crawlfish, crayfish, mudbug, yabby (Australia)

Verb

crawfish (third-person singular simple present crawfishes, present participle crawfishing, simple past and past participle crawfished)

(colloquial, Southern US) To backpedal, desert or withdraw (also used with out).

Source: Wiktionary


Craw"fish` (kr"fsh`), Cray"fish` (kr"fsh`), n.; pl. -fishes or -fish. Etym: [Corrupted fr. OE. crevis, creves, OF. crevice, F. , fr. OHG. krebiz crab, G. krebs. See Crab. The ending -fish arose from confusion with E. fish.] (Zoöl.)

Definition: Any crustacean of the family Astacidæ, resembling the lobster, but smaller, and found in fresh waters. Crawfishes are esteemed very delicate food both in Europe and America. The North American species are numerous and mostly belong to the genus Cambarus. The blind crawfish of the Mamoth Cave is Cambarus pellucidus. The common European species is Astacus fluviatilis.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

25 February 2025

ENDLESSLY

(adverb) (spatial sense) seeming to have no bounds; “the Nubian desert stretched out before them endlessly”


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Coffee Trivia

Decaffeinated coffee is not caffeine-free. Studies from the National Institute of Health (US) have shown that virtually all decaf coffee types contain caffeine. A 236-ml (8-oz) cup of decaf coffee contains up to 7 mg of caffeine, whereas a regular cup provided 70-140 mg.

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