Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adverb Sideways.
- adverb In a furtive or circumspect manner; indirectly.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective In the manner of a
crab ;sideways . - adjective figuratively
Incidental . - adverb In the manner of a
crab ;sideways .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective (of movement) at an angle
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Layered with countless motifs from Albanian folklore involving betrayal, incest, shame and horror, as well as tragic themes from Plato, Virgil and Cervantes, this section of the narrative is a "crabwise" unfolding of their last 40 days, compiled by a researcher whose own obsession with the case is never explained, but who is ultimately confounded by the unanswerable question: "What right have we got in this pitch-black night to ask about things that are beyond our powers to see?"
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I wouldn't say that that evening was born a lifelong passion for theatre – it's been a slow, crabwise journey to get there – but it did do something.
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But the crabwise trajectory of their investigation suggests that the quest is just a framework on which to hang Schacht's energetic soliloquies.
Sam Munson's ÂNovember Criminals,' about a disaffected teen in Washington, D.C. Michael Lindgren 2010
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Metre-high players scuttle crabwise across the pitch.
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The horse had run backwards, cantered crabwise, turned in circles, ignored every instruction and used his vast muscle power to make a fool of the slight man on his back.
They didn’t read Pitchfork or Stereogum or Gorilla vs. Bear or Hipster Runoff Josh Spilker 2010
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With a sharp pull and a crabwise motion, it was possible to open the door and pass through it.
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He ducked his head beneath his tunic, turning his face against the wall, and crept, crabwise and even more slowly, up the stairs.
Tran Siberian Michael J. Solender 2010
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The little homestead was on the move, inching crabwise across the Pilliga.
Wildwood Roger Deakin 2009
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The little homestead was on the move, inching crabwise across the Pilliga.
Wildwood Roger Deakin 2009
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That was a while ago, and he can't walk these days unless he clings to furniture and creeps along crabwise, so I'm hoping he'll have better luck getting the equipment in Reno.
Archive 2008-12-01 Susan Palwick 2008
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