crabbed

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crabbed †froward, wayward XIII; out of humour; †harsh, rugged XIV; difficult to deal with or make sense of; cross-tempered XVI. f. CRAB 1 + -ED 2, with orig. ref. to the gait and habits of the crab, which suggest cross-grained or fractious disposition. There has been later assoc. with CRAB 2 with connotation of sourness.

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