crawfish
/ˈkrɔːfɪʃ
/noun (plural same or crawfishes)
1 another term for spiny lobster.Edible crabs, crawfish and lobsters must not be taken....
- The new display will also include tropical hermit crabs, crawfish, horseshoe crabs, and other species.
- Fish regularly shoal in the area; and within the rocky ledges enormous crabs, lobsters and the occasional crawfish take advantage of the fact that they are rarely visited or fished for.
1.1chiefly North American A freshwater crayfish.In flood years they open the gates and fresh water flushes through the Basin and the crawfish and the fishermen flourish....
- There isn't much else to see at this depth apart from freshwater crawfish scuttling for cover along the silty bottom.
- Small freshwater crawfish potter about and are easily approachable.
verb [no object] US informal
Retreat from a position: three networks, intimidated by the public outcry, had begun to crawfish...
- ‘For 11 long years, he has sidestepped, crawfished, wheedled out of any agreements he had made not to develop weapons of mass destruction,’ he said.
- If there were a shred of sense in this analogy, hunting would have been banned five years ago, whereas in fact he has ‘crawfished’ about like anything trying to avoid it.
Origin
Early 17th century: variant of crayfish.