Claw — Defs

01 n. A sharp, hooked nail, as of a beast or bird.

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.
A slender appendage or process, formed like a claw, as the base of petals of the pink.(Bot.)

Phrases & compounds

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.

Claw sickness — foot rot, a disease affecting sheep.

02 v. t. To pull, tear, or scratch with, or as with, claws or nails.

imp. & p. p. Clawed; p. pr. & vb. n. Clawing

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

Phrases & compounds

Claw me, claw thee — stand by me and I will stand by you; -- an old proverb.

To claw away — to scold or revile.

To claw (one) on the back — to tickle; to express approbation.

To claw (one) on the gall — to find fault with; to vex.

03 v. i. To scrape, scratch, or dig with a claw, or with the hand as a claw.

Phrases & compounds

To claw off — to turn to windward and beat, to prevent falling on a lee shore.