Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a plump, attractive woman.

a.1909

press cutting in J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era 30/2: Then Joe fell in love with a dona — oh, what a bit of crumb.

1. a moustache; a beard.

1901		Stayer (Canyon City, TX) 3 Oct. 3/6: Visiting Friend — Why, what has a full beard to do with housekeeping [...] Mr Tidey — It makes such a nice crumb-catcher.
2013		J. Stahl Bad Sex on Speed 18: Drunk, with some crank flecks in his Magnum, P.I. crumb-catcher.

2. (US) a hanger-on, one who acts as a parasite on the powerful or influential [the taking of crumbs from the rich man’s table].

1925		H. Lofting in Cincinnati Enquirer (OH) 20 Aug. 6/3: Lured by idless and ease, we become a miserable lot of crumb-snatchers and cheese stealers.
1955		B. Schulberg On the Waterfront (1964) 50: He himself was just a hanger-on, a crumb-catcher, usually trusted with only the smallest errands.
1962		(con. 1940s) H. Simmons Man Walking On Eggshells 160: All the crumb-snatchers along Papin Avenue who looked at the movie houses with bulging eyes.

3. (orig. US black) a baby; usu. one who is just beginning to eat solids; cit. 1996 is the only use of ‘spouse’ as well as the more usual ‘child’.

1958		W. Bryant Jive in Hi-Fi 27: a crumb-snatcher: a baby.
1960		Beat Jokes Bop Humor and Cool Cartoons 59: The broad’s old man tried to sound him that his crumb snatcher was yet too young to indulge in the marriage action.
1973		E. Bunker No Beast So Fierce 268: For Christ’s sake, I’ve got an old lady and crumb snatchers. I’m just a raggedy ass dope fiend.
1979		E. Torres After Hours 213: What about this little crumb-catcher you got in the oven here?
1980		E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 233: crumbsnatcher Baby.
1996		Eble Sl. and Sociability 49: ‘A dependent spouse or child’ can be called a crumbsnatcher.
2000		P. Beatty Tuff 114: A luxury rumpus room where the staff called the kids ‘toddlers’ and ‘youngsters,’ not ‘clients’ and ‘crumb snatchers’.
2014		M. McBride Swollen Red Sun 42: [S]he ought to show those crumb-snatchers a little belt belt leather.
2021		S.A. Crosby Razorblade Tears 246: They grabbed the crumb-snatcher.

1. in pl., the teeth.

1944		‘Jiver’s Bible’ in D. Burley Orig. Hbk of Harlem Jive.
1954		Aggie Mack 31 Aug. [synd. cartoon] Sink your crumb crunchers into this fried chicken, man!

2. (US) a (small) child.

1959		Dly Press (Newport News, VA) 2 Jan. 16/5: Thank you, dear, for our four wonderful ‘unemployed crumb crunchers’ [...] our children.
1964		Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ) 6 Dec. 2/1: Kid Football Rugged [...] The outcome wasn’t so important as the way the crumb-crunchers played the game.
1989		Orlando Sentinel (FL) 14 May 13/1: I’ve never known a mother who didn’t thrive on hearing her little crumb-crunchers tell her they adore her.
1996		Florida Today (Cocoa, FL) 7 July 4F/2: If your crumb-crunchers say they want something because they saw it touted on TV [etc].

(US black) to enjoy profoundly, to ‘eat up’.

1943		D. Burley N.Y. Amsterdam Star-News 3 July 16: We crumb-crushed your spiel about the ‘Seven Skulls’ just killing themselves on the gauge tip, lippin’ a lone giggle stick.
1944		D. Burley Orig. Hbk of Harlem Jive 122: [as prev.].

1. (US black) a glutton.

1936

D. Burley in Chicago Defender 26 Feb. 11: To be a crumb crusher one has to have firm teeth, a powerful jaw, and a stomach capacity of at least two gallons. A lot of folk think twice before asking ’em to dinner.

2. in pl., the teeth.

1936		Pittsburgh Courier (PA) 8 Aug. 19/3: Beat your crumb crushers on this: [etc].
1942		‘Marienne’ ‘Solid Meddlin’ in People’s Voice (NY) 7 Mar. 33/1: Dug Gill of Minton’s Bar showing off his new ivory crumb-crushers.
1943		Pittsburgh Courier (PA) 26 June 20/1: You can attribute his smiling habit to those new front crushers [...] fitted in for him last week.
1953		L. Durst Jives of Dr. Hepcat (1989) 8: Stacked like the rock of Gibraltar and his crumb crushers are white and even, when he sounds down cupid’s taking his natural cut.
1957		H. Simmons Corner Boy 195: Just keep your crumb crushers shut.
1971		(con. 1930s–50s) D. Wells Night People 117: Crumbcrushers. Teeth.

3. (orig. US black) a baby , esp. one who is just learning to eat solids.

4. in pl., the lips.

1972

D. Claerbaut Black Jargon in White America 62: crumb crushers n. lips.

1. (US) a young man who frequents tea-parties.

1922

Appleton Post-Crescent (WI) 2 May 9/4: Flapper Dictionary crumb gobbler – A Cake-Eater or Bun-Buster who makes a specialty of crashing in at teas.

2. (US) a (small) child.

1973		St Louis Post-Dispatch (MO) 6 Oct. 3D/4: By the time we reached the children’s zoo [...] we were surrounded by eager crumb-gobblers.
1976		St Louis Post-Dispatch (MO) 4 Feb. 2F/1: Thousands of screaming crumb-gobblers ravage the ever-present souvenir stands.
1988		News-Press (Fort Myers, FL) 20 Jan. 1B/1: The five crib screamers [...] would grow into carpet crawlers, crumb gobblers and curtain climbers.
1991		Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ) 25 May CL/1/1: There’s much to say for having a back seat [...] when you have a pair of crumb gobblers.
2000		Cincinnati Enquirer (OH) 25 Nov. G1/4: There’s only one thing that can keep crumb gobblers transfixed for long periods of time.

(orig. US black) a baby who is just beginning to eat solids.

1966		N-W Arkansas Times (Fayetteville, AR) 22 Nov. 5/5: Oatmeal raisin bars will be a popular treat with the crumb-greabbers in your house.
1977		B. Cleaver Trial Valley 19: It was Devola who found our little deserted crumb-grabber that day.
1987		D. Van Hise Killing Time 237: When I went out to take a better look at our predicament, you were sleeping like a little crumb grabber.
2005		J. Myers Row House Days 41: The driveway is DeLuca turf, and they don’t want some little crumb-grabber taking up space.

(US black) a dining-room, esp. in an institution.

1944

‘Jiver’s Bible’ in D. Burley Orig. Hbk of Harlem Jive.

1. the hand.

1970

in DARE.

2. see crumb-catcher

(US black/Harlem) a kitchen; a dining room.

1944

‘Jiver’s Bible’ in D. Burley Orig. Hbk of Harlem Jive.