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Pawl vs Craw - What's the difference?

pawl | craw |

As nouns the difference between pawl and craw

is that pawl is a pivoted catch designed to fall into a notch on a ratchet wheel so as to allow movement in only one direction (e.g. on a windlass or in a clock mechanism), or alternatively to move the wheel in one direction while craw is the stomach of an animal.

As verbs the difference between pawl and craw

is that pawl is to stop with a pawl while craw is to caw, crow, for certain birds to make their cry.

pawl

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A pivoted catch designed to fall into a notch on a ratchet wheel so as to allow movement in only one direction (e.g. on a windlass or in a clock mechanism), or alternatively to move the wheel in one direction.
  • * 1994 , Cormac McCarthy, The Crossing :
  • The nails in the rim of the wheel went ratcheting over the leather pawl and the wheel slowed and came to a stop and the woman turned to the crowd and smiled.
  • * 1910 , Victor Appleton, Tom Swift and his Motorcycle
  • A pawl is a sort of catch that fits into a ratchet wheel and pushes it around, or it may be used as a catch to prevent the backward motion of a windlass or the wheel on a derrick.

    Derived terms

    * pawl bitt * pawl rim

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To stop with a pawl.
  • Derived terms

    * pawl the capstan

    craw

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (archaic) The stomach of an animal.
  • The crop of a bird.
  • Synonyms

    * crop * gullet

    Derived terms

    * stick in one’s craw

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (archaic) to caw, crow, for certain birds to make their cry
  • *{{quote-book, year=1828, author=David Macbeth Moir, title=The Life of Mansie Wauch, chapter=, edition= citation
  • , passage=The night was now pitmirk; the wind soughed amid the head-stones and railings of the gentry, (for we must all die,) and the black corbies in the steeple-holes cackled and crawed in a fearsome manner. }}