crab claw

plural crab claws

1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see crab, claw.
2. abbreviationellipsisEllipsis of crab claw sail (“type of triangular sail”).

   […] during the ensuing centuries Hawaiians developed their own form of sail, called a “crab claw” because of its distinctive shape.

   1993, George Hu'eu Kanahele, Kū Kanaka, Stand Tall: A Search for Hawaiian Values, University of Hawaii Press, →ISBN, page 254

   1 more example

   Surprisingly, or not so to me, the best is the Pacific crab claw rig, closely followed by the Arab dhow or lateen sail, and the standing lug.

   2011, William E. Courduff, Butterfly on the Water, Author House, →ISBN, page 178