Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a sycophant, a toady; also attrib., often as clawback-courtiers.

1549		H. Latimer 2nd Sermon before Edward VI (Arb.) 64: These flattering clawbackes are originall rotes of all mischyue .
1574		J. Higgins et al. Mirror for Magistrates (1815) 73: And I had clawbackes even in Court full rife, / Which sought by mine outrages gaines to winne.
1580		H. Gifford A posie of gilloflowers n.p.: No canckred mindes would hoorde vp heapes of hate. / No hollow hearts dissembling partes should play. / No clawback then would fawne in hope of méede,.
1592		A. Willet Synopsis papismi 274: [O]one of his clawback flatterers is not ashamed to say of him [...] the Pope in a manner can doe all things that God can doe.
1592		A. Fraunce Amintas dale n.p.: The periured Battus is as worthyly plagued for his double tongue, as the blabbing clawback, and Brewbate Crow for his long tongue.
1611		Davies of Hereford Vpon Eng. Prouerbes 49/2: Whores are still Clawbacks to knaues but for lack: Who stil claw their bellyes as they claw their backe.
1613		J. Hall The discouery of a new world 183: [A]nother nation called Clawback-[c]ourt, peopled with the strangest monsters that euer man beheld. They beare euery one two faces, and speake with two tongues: carrying the shapes of Apes vpon their formost partes, and all behinde of Dogges: so that they seeme to bee a confused composition of Man, Ape, and Dogge [...] 191: [H]is countrie Farmes, three or foure, [are] leased out vnto his Viliacoes, his retainers, and those are commonly Clawback-courtiers.
1634		J. Withals Dictionarie in Eng. and Latine 314: A Pick-thank, or claw-back, Adulator.
1653		S. Fisher Baby-baptism n.p.: [S]ome Cowardly Clawback, that cares not to be unfaithful in his carriage [...] toward God.
1669		Psittacorum regio 92: [Y]our Spanish Mimick is a meer Ninni-hammer to these Clawback-Courtiers; speak [...] and ye shall presently have him kiss his hand, cringe in his ham, stroke with his foot two yards of dust; and [...] bandy the last word you spake all the Room about.
1693		Urquhart (trans.) Gargantua and Pantagruel (1927) I Bk III 451: These are my Flatterers, [...] my Clawbacks, my Saluters.
1822		R. Nares Gloss. (1888) I 165: claw-back. One who scratches another’s back. Metaphorically, a flatterer.

the penis.

1653		Urquhart (trans.) Gargantua and Pantagruel (1927) I Bk I 44: And some of the other women would give these names, my Roger, my cockatoo, my nimble-wimble, bush-beater, claw-buttock, evesdropper, pick-lock, pioneer, bully-ruffin, smell-smock, trouble-gusset, my lusty live sausage.
1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.

a sycophant, a toady, thus as v. claw poll (with).

1568		R. Grafton Chronicle at Large (1809) I 601: Certeine Claw-poules & Parasites, commonly called Titiuils, and tale tellers.
1612		P. de Mornay The mysterie of iniquitie [trans.] 121: [S]he did this onely to claw poll with him, because the French had at that time occasion to vse his fauour toward the Emperour.
[1692		J. Curate The Scotch Presbyterian eloquence 99: [He] was ordinarily called Fitch-cape and Claw-poll, because in the time of Preaching or Praying he used to claw his Head, and rub his Callet].

1. severely beaten or thrashed.

[1680		Crack upon Crack 4: [Citt claws him off with his cat of Nine-Tails]].
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Claw’d-off, lustily lasht.
1721		Penkethman’s Jests 111: As for the Leg, the Cook ought to be claw’d off for not roasting it enough.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Clawed off, severely beaten or whipped; also smartly poxed or clapped.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.

2. suffering from a venereal disease.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Clawed off [...] swingingly Poxt.
1725		New Canting Dict.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

an early version of the 20C+ scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.

1539		R. Taverner (trans.) Proverbes or Adages by Erasmus (1569) 61: Claw me, claw thee. Beare witnes with me, and I will beare witnes with thee.
1546		J. Heywood Proverbs I Ch. xi: Ka me, ka thee, one good tourne askth an other.
1579		Plutarch The lives of the noble Grecians and Romanes [trans.] 355: [Y]e claw me, and say I am an honest man, and a good citizen.
1583		B. Melbancke Philotimus 26: [M]en vse to till the fertill soyle, that giues that it receiues with vsurie and interest, as Hesiodus saith, claw me and I will claw thée.
1595		Maroccus Extaticus C2: For hee will forbeare as long as shee will beare, and thats ka mee, and ka thee, knaue he, and queane she.
1605		Chapman & Jonson Eastward Ho! II ii: ‘Ka me, ka thee’, runs through court and country.
1611		L. Barry Ram-Alley IV i: Women please men, men pleasure them againe, Ka me, ka thee, one thing must rub another [...] You know the law has trickes, ka me, ka thee.
1615		Merrie Dialogue Between Band, Cuffe, and Ruffe B3: Claw me, and I’ll claw thee, the proverb goes.
c.1629		R. Brome City Wit IV i: Ka me, Ka thee, an old kind of Courtship.
1633		Massinger Guardian II i: As my Masters monies come in, I do repay it, Ka me, ka thee.
1639		Le Sieur de la Serre The mirrour which flatters not [trans.] n.p.: [The] Tricke of Stale Confed’racy. / Cal’d Quid pro Quo, / Claw me, and Ile claw thee.
1659		J. Howell Paroimiographia Proverbs 11: Claw me, and Ile claw thee.
1676		S.T. The Presbyterians unmask’d 184: [C]law me and I’le claw thee, was the politick Dialect of Presbyterians.
1682		T.T. Midsummer-moon 6: Claw me, and I'le claw thee; what, he's his Brother! / And one Good-turn, ye know, requires another.
1697		J. Edwards A brief vindication 28: [He] is over joy’d at such Fulsom Encomiums thrown upon him, and therefore he heaps up as many as he can on the other's head. The sum of all which is this, claw me, and I will claw thee.
1704		‘England a great bedlam’ in N. Ward Poems on Divers Subjects (1706) 145: Thus Int’rest, we may see, unites / The most repugnant opposites: / Two scabby Foes will soon agree, / Scratch me, says one, and I'll scratch thee.
1709		N. Ward Compleat and Humorous Account of Remarkable Clubs (1756) 313: Yet their own Works sometimes should be blushingly repeated, that they might have a friendly Opportunity of tickling each other with reciprocal Flattery, and put that Policy in Practice; so much in Vogue among scabby Friends, viz. I’ll scratch you, you do scratch me.
1738		Swift Polite Conversation 85: lady sm.: Well, she and Tom Gosling were banging Compliments backwards and forwards. It look’d like two Asses scrubbing one another. miss.: Ay, claw me, and I’ll claw thee.
1822		R. Nares Gloss. (1888) II 477: ka me, and i’ll ka thee, prov., or more commonly, in an abbreviated form, ka me, ka thee. [...] swear for me, and I’ll do as much for you; or claw me and I’ll claw you.
[1842		Wkly Rake (NY) 9 July n.p.: Tom. Nichols does not go upon the ‘tickle me and I’ll tickle you,’ system].
1869		Sportsman (London) 3 Feb. 2/1: Notes on News [...] [T]he whole affair looks very like a mutual report of the doings of a ‘Mutual Admiration Club’ on the ‘caw me, caw thee’ principle.
1887		Cumberland Mercury (NSW) 28 May 4/6: They Say [...] That ‘claw me claw thee’ was the motto at the ‘First Parliament’ feed.

to thrash, to beat severely; thus clawed off

1725		New Canting Dict.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1821		R. Waln Hermit in America on Visit to Phila. 2nd series 25: My attention was soon attracted by the voices of the players. [...] ‘Don’t claw off, Bill’—‘That’s a cooler’—‘Don’t crow yet’.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1856		Northampton Mercury 19 Apr. 3/1: Some people clawed him off.

see grab (the) sky under grab v.