crab claw

crab claw (plural crab claws)

1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see crab,‎ claw.
2. Alternative form of crab claw sail (a triangular sail with spars along upper and lower edges)
   • 1993, George Hu'eu Kanahele, Kū Kanaka, Stand Tall: A Search for Hawaiian Values, University of Hawaii Press, →ISBN, page 254:

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

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

     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.