fiddler crab

noun

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

fiddler crab

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of fiddler crab¹

An Americanism dating back to 1700–10

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

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