crabstick

[ krab-stik ]

/ ˈkræbˌstɪk /

noun

a stick, cane, or club made of wood, especially of the crab tree.

an ill-tempered, grouchy person; crosspatch.

Nearby words

crabby, crabeater, crabgrass, crabmeat, crabs, crabstick, crabwise, crabwood, crac, crack, crack a book

Origin of crabstick

First recorded in 1695–1705; crab² + stick¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for crabstick

Crabstick brought her mistress word that Mr. Greystock was in the parlour soon after nine o'clock.
The Eustace Diamonds|Anthony Trollope
Ida and I are good friends—nothing more—when old Crabstick, her uncle, will allow us to talk to one another—which is but seldom.
The Funny Philosophers|George Yellott
Mrs. J. Oh, Mrs. Crabstick, cheer up, just when we've come to such a nice tea-party.
The Cat and Fiddle Book|Lady Florence Bell
And only last winter old Crabstick got a strange notion in his head that he was a dog.
The Funny Philosophers|George Yellott

The rider applied the crabstick more vigorously than before.
Self-control|Mary Brunton

British Dictionary definitions for crabstick

crabstick

/ (ˈkræbˌstɪk) /

noun

a stick, cane, or cudgel made of crab-apple wood

informal a bad-tempered person

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012