crabwise
Like a crustacean
Crabwise means moving sideways, like a crab.
The word describes lateral motion—edging along a narrow ledge, sidling through a crowded room, or approaching a topic indirectly: He crabwise avoided answering the question.
She moved crabwise along the cliff face, back pressed to the rock.
Move furtively sideways
- edgeBoundary or sharpness
- shuffleRandomize by mixing
- lateralOf the side
- scuttleSink intentionally; hurried shuffle
skitter · slide · slink · creep · skirt · flank · sashay · drift
Sink intentionally; hurried shuffle
- pincersGripping tool or claws
- clawsAnimal gripping nails
- carapaceProtective dorsal exoskeleton
- decapodTen-appendaged arthropod or cephalopod
shellfish · sideways · skitter · arthropod · exoskeleton
Avoiding direct response
- circuitousIndirect, winding path
- roundaboutCircular junction for traffic
- obliqueAngled, not straightforward
- tangentialBarely connected to main point
meandering · digressive · elliptical · veiled · allusive · noncommittal · hedging · skirting
Uncertain and provisional
- waryGuardedly alert
- guardedWary and restrained
- circumspectCarefully considering consequences
- hesitantSlow to act
gingerly · prudent · careful · watchful · apprehensive · leery · chary · deliberate
sidle
Move furtively sideways
scuttle · skitter · slide · slink · creep · skirt · flank · sashay · drift · shift
scuttle
Sink intentionally; hurried shuffle
decapod · shellfish · sideways · skitter · arthropod · exoskeleton
evasive
Avoiding direct response
- circuitousIndirect, winding path
- roundaboutCircular junction for traffic
- obliqueAngled, not straightforward
tangential · meandering · digressive · elliptical · veiled · allusive · noncommittal · hedging · skirting
tentative
Uncertain and provisional
- waryGuardedly alert
- guardedWary and restrained
- circumspectCarefully considering consequences
hesitant · gingerly · prudent · careful · watchful · apprehensive · leery · chary · deliberate · measured
ungainly
Lacking ease of movement
- clumsyLacking physical coordination
- ungracefulLacking elegance in movement
- stiffNot easily bent
crabwisestraight
Not curved or crooked
directly · forward · head-on · straightforward · straight ahead
crabwisedirectly
Without intermediary steps
straightforwardly · direct · straightforward · forthrightly · head-on
wise, crab, crabby, likewise, otherwise, crabs, sidestep, crabbed, crabbing