crabling

English

Etymology

From crab +‎ -ling.

Noun

crabling (plural crablings)

1. A small, young, or baby crab.
   • 1867, William Barry Lord, Crab, shrimp, and lobster lore:

     The juvenile members of most of our seaside communities are much given to crab-fishing, and may be seen from early morn to evening late, dangling their legs over some convenient rock, sea-wall, or landing-steps, and with a piece of twine to which a dainty morsel of fish offal has been tied, doing their best to induce some greedy young crabling to grasp it with his nippers, [...]

   • 2009, R. Y. Gheith, The Complete Isaac Trilogy:

     This was, after all, the easiest kind of life a simple-minded crabling such as he could hope to achieve, and so Galoo's words did well to play upon his fears. the sea-swindler went on to say, giving the crabling a slight push to go.