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