Meaning
The hermit crab — the little crab that has no hard shell of its own and lives inside an empty snail or whelk shell, dragging it along and swapping it for a bigger one as it grows. Children love to find soldier crabs on the beach and by the sea, poking them to make them pull inside their borrowed shells. The name comes from the way they seem to march about in their armour.
Examples
-
Di pickney a play wid soldier crab pon di beach.
The children are playing with hermit crabs on the beach.
-
Di soldier crab pull inna him shell.
The hermit crab pulled into its shell.
-
Soldier crab tek over one empty whelk shell.
The hermit crab took over an empty whelk shell.
Origin
From 'soldier' (its marching, armoured look) + 'crab'; the hermit crab. See [[land-crab]], [[sea-egg]].
How it’s used
The hermit crab, living in a borrowed shell. See [[land-crab]], [[sea-egg]].