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Mr. Tom Posted 11 years ago
Vocabulary

Use of the word "crabbed"

Hi

Would you say that the word crabbed is still in use (and kicking)?

She has crabbed handwriting.

Thanks,

Tom

PS: Do you pronounce the underlined part of the word crabbed like /bd/ or /bid/?
  

Top answer

Mr. Tom Would you say that the word crabbed is still in use (and kicking)? I don't—that's all I can say.

— Mister Micawber

  • Mr.
  • Tom Would you say that the word crabbed is still in use (and kicking)?
  • I don't—that's all I can say.
  • I think that for the most part it has been superseded by the similar 'cramped' nowadays.
  • Mr.
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3 Answers
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Mr. TomWould you say that the word crabbed is still in use (and kicking)?
I don't—that's all I can say. I think that for the most part it has been superseded by the similar 'cramped' nowadays.
Mr. TomPS: Do you pronounce the underlined part of the word crabbed like /bd/ or /bid/?
I notice that the dictionary accepts both; I
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Mister Micawber I would never have thought to use the bisyllabic option.
Neither would I, and I don't think I've ever heard it, but the Cambridge EPD gives both versions, with the bisyllabic option second; Wells's LPD gives both versions, with the bisyllabic option first.
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I disagree that "crabbed" (pronounced: "crabbd" in the US) is no longer used. I'm a native English speaker in the US, and this is one of my choice words. The meaning is something like: overly compact and/or complicated to the point of being ineffective - either literally or figuratively. "Crabbed handwriting" is a classic usage, which has achieved almost idiomatic status in English. Some ot
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