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ose to the ground with the logs bent, as an animal when waiting for prey, or in fear. Now crouch like a cur. Beau. & Fl.

Marked with the sign of the cross. [Obs.] Crouched friar. See Crutched friar, under Crutched.

; as, young men can not brook restraint. Spenser. Shall we, who could not brook one lord, Crouch to the wicked ten Macaulay.

To bend the body, as in reverence, pain, labor, etc.; to stoop; to crouch. [Obs.] An aged squire That seemed to couch under his shield three-square. Spenser.

To stoop by bending the knees; to crouch; to squat; hence, to quail; to sink through fear. Our dame sits cowering o'er a kitchen fire. Dryden. Like falcons, cowering on the nest. Goldsmith.

To draw one's self together as in fear or servility; to bend or crouch with base humility; to wince; hence; to make court in a degrading manner; to fawn. When they were come up to the place where the lions were, the boys that went before were glad to cringe behind, for they were afraid of the lions. Bunyan. Sly hypocri…

Marked with the sign of the cross; crouched. Crutched friar (Eccl.), one of a religious order, so called because its members bore the sign of the cross on their staves and habits; -- called also crossed friar and crouched friar.

To bend; to crouch; to cringe. [Obs.] Virtue itself of vice must pardon beg, Yea, curb and woo for leave to do him good. Shak.

r one's self together, to collect and dispose one's powers for a great effort, as a beast crouches preparatory to a leap. -- To gather way (Naut.), to begin to move; to move with increasing speed.

To cower; to crouch; to curl up. [Obs.] Palsgrave.

In the phrase on one's hunkers, in a squatting or crouching position. [Scot. & Local, U. S.]

d on a floor, as bedding for animals to rest on; also, a covering of straw for plants. To crouch in litter of your stable planks. Shak. Take off the litter from your kernel beds. Evelyn.

A female demon who torments people in sleep by crouching on their chests or stomachs, or by causing terrifying visions.

ame birds by standing in a fixed position, but originally they indicated it by sitting or crouching.

To act in a stealthy and cowardly manner; to behave with meanness and servility; to crouch.

Marked by cowardly concealment; deficient in openness and courage; underhand; mean; crouching. -- Sneak"ing*ly, adv. -- Sneak"ing*ness, n.

Sitting on the hams or heels; sitting close to the ground; cowering; crouching. Him there they found, Squat like a toad, close at the ear of Eve. Milton.

To lie close to the ground, so as to be concealed; to squat; to crouch; hence, to hide one's self. [Written also tappis, tappish, tappice.] [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] As a hound that, having roused a hart, Although he tappish ne'er so soft. Chapman.

Fretful; peevish; petulant; easily irritated. Must I observe you must I stand and crouch Under your testy humor Shak. I was displeased with myself; I was testy. Latimer.

rchaic] One rushing forth out of the thickest weed. Spenser. A wild and wanton pard . . . Crouched fawning in the weed. Tennyson.