Claw, v. i. To scrape,
scratch, or dig with a claw, or with the hand as a claw.
"Clawing [in ash barrels] for bits of coal." W. D.
Howells.
To claw off (Naut.), to turn to
windward and beat, to prevent falling on a lee shore.
Claw (klô), v. t. [imp.
& p. p. Clawed (klôd); p. pr. & vb.
n. Clawing.] [AS. clawan. See
Claw, n.] 1. To
pull, tear, or scratch with, or as with, claws or
nails.
2. To relieve from some uneasy sensation,
as by scratching; to tickle; hence, to flatter; to court.
[Obs.]
Rich men they claw, soothe up, and flatter;
the poor they contemn and despise.
Holland.
3. To rail at; to scold. [Obs.]
In the aforesaid preamble, the king fairly claweth
the great monasteries, wherein, saith he, religion, thanks be to
God, is right well kept and observed; though he claweth
them soon after in another acceptation.
T. Fuller
Claw me, claw thee, stand by me and I
will stand by you; -- an old proverb. Tyndale. --
To claw away, to scold or revile. "The
jade Fortune is to be clawed away for it, if you should
lose it." L'Estrange. -- To claw (one) on the
back, to tickle; to express approbation.
(Obs.) Chaucer. -- To claw (one) on the
gall, to find fault with; to vex. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Claw (klô), n. [AS.
clawu, clā, cleó; akin to D.
klaauw, G. klaue, Icel. klō, Sw. &
Dan. klo, and perh. to E. clew.] 1.
A sharp, hooked nail, as of a beast or bird.
2. The whole foot of an animal armed with
hooked nails; the pinchers of a lobster, crab, etc.
3. Anything resembling the claw of an
animal, as the curved and forked end of a hammer for drawing
nails.
4. (Bot.) A slender appendage or
process, formed like a claw, as the base of petals of the
pink. Gray.
Claw hammer, a hammer with one end of
the metallic head cleft for use in extracting nails, etc. --
Claw hammer coat, a dress coat of the
swallowtail pattern. [Slang] -- Claw
sickness, foot rot, a disease affecting
sheep.