All In The Family Episode: Mike Comes Into Money

When "All In The Family" first aired on the CBS television network in January of 1971, it was the talk of the nation. The show, developed by producer Norman Lear, dared depict our prejudices, bigotries and hatreds right to our faces, but usually with a comedic twist. The basic format of the show was of middle aged Archie Bunker, a working class white man living in the Queens section of New York City, along with his wife Edith, their daughter Gloria, and Gloria's husband Mike, usually called "Michael" by Gloria. The living arrangement is that Gloria and Mike get room and board while Mike attends college, but the young couple's other expenses must be paid for by themselves, and they must pay for the room and board, plus interest, after Mike gets his college degree and begins earning a living. This "agreement" is not always set in concrete and it proves to be periodically contentious, especially so in this episode. Further, the young liberal couple living with a middle aged couple is far from peaceful, as Archie is set in his ways on a number of things, and he doesn't see the contradictions he holds regarding other aspects of life. For instance, Archie would use "hell" or "damn" at times when arguing a point, but he tells others not to swear in the house.*
  
This episode is one I've remembered for all of the years since it was first telecast prior to the presidential election in 1972 (Nixon vs. McGovern). Of course, I got some "refresher" help with the reruns of "All In The Family" in the decades since those times. This episode has some truly funny lines, at least from the standpoint of my type of humor, but it also made some more serious points. 

Cast:

Archie Bunker ............................Carroll O'Connor
Edith Bunker .............................. Jean Stapleton
Gloria (Bunker) Stivic ...............Sally Struthers
Michael/Mike Stivic .................. Rob Reiner

The episode opens with Edith reading the draft of what is supposed to be a funny story to Gloria. She wants Gloria to help refine the story so she can submit it to Reader's Digest for a chance to make $100, a decent sum of money in 1972, and equivalent to about $600 today. Edith's story isn't very funny, but Archie and Mike arrive home with raised voices as they argue about pollution. Things settle down from that argument only to have Archie open the water bill and declare, "Lucky me, I've got the only Polack who showers regularly."** Mike reaches into his pocket and pulls out a dime, which he offers to Archie. Archie responds by saying, " That dime ain't gonna pay for all your showers," and Mike replies, "No, but it'll pay for yours." Hahaha!

Mike opens a piece of mail, only to read that an uncle has died, but that he's left Mike $275. This prompts Archie to ask for $200 of the sum as a partial payment on what Mike owes him for more than two years' room and board. Mike says this goes against the agreement he and Archie made that defers Mike paying on the debt he owes Archie until after he graduates and gets a job. Then comes the equivalent to a sock in the jaw to Archie. Mike tells him he plans to donate the $200 to the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern. Archie is furious, but Mike tries to explain that he's trying to defend democracy, because the Democrats have virtually no money, while the Republicans have 30 million dollars available to them (equivalent to more than $175 million in today's value). Mike says that "it's like politics in America is only for the rich," and this brings the question from Archie, "Who's been feeding you that Commie crapola?" Mike replies, "President Eisenhower" (he was a Republican president during the 1950s). Archie screams, "He did not! Eisenhower was a great president who never said nuthin'." Hahaha  Gloria then adds, "He (Eisenhower) did too, Daddy. Eisenhower made that statement in 1968, I saw it in the Reader's Digest." This brings Edith to interject, "Oh! I wonder if they paid him $100 for it?" Hahahaha! Archie forbids Edith to do any more cooking for Mike and Gloria, until Mike starts "chipping in;" so, dinner times are now divided for the family.

The scene shifts to two weeks later, which is election day. Gloria, who has had a job since before Mike's inheritance and the resulting argument with Archie, comes home and rushes to fix supper for Mike and herself. In the process, Gloria is in so much of a hurry, she turns the oven up to 500 degrees, not knowing that Edith has rolls baking for Archie's dinner. The rolls are burned and Edith and Gloria quarrel over the whole situation. The argument brings Archie into the kitchen to say, "What's all the hollerin' out here? For a minute I thought I was in the back room of a Greek restaurant." He goes to Gloria, who asks him if he cares that she and her mother have just had this argument. He answers, "Sure I care. I told yous to shut up, didn't I?" Hahaha!

Archie tells his daughter that it's all Mike's fault, that Mike didn't do the right thing about the $200. She answers that fathers often make sacrifices for their kids and that even when Archie helps Mike, he is also helping her and that this is helping her to be better off than himself, and that every father wants his child to be better off than himself. Archie gives the hilarious reply, "That don't always work that way, little girl... Take a look at your animal kingdom for example there. Take the gorilla. Well the gorilla wants his kid to grow up better than him too, but the kid grows up, and there he is, still a gorilla." Hahahaha!

Mike comes home and sees the stew Edith has prepared for Archie's supper. Archie quickly points the way to the kitchen for Mike to get his own food. Mike goes into the kitchen and Gloria and Mike discuss how Mike has been working after college each day to earn $200 to give to Archie, but they have told Archie and Edith that Mike's been at the library studying. So far Mike has made $150. Mike asks Gloria what's for dinner. She answers, "Hamburgers," bringing Mike's reply of, "Again? I don't want them every night." Gloria then says, "Last night I made you meatloaf." Mike answers, "Gloria, meatloaf IS hamburger. It's the same thing with another name." The two have a brief exchange, and Mike says to Gloria that her father is "stupid" and "pig-headed." Gloria gives an interesting response: "Hold it, don't you call my father names just because you had a fight with him, that's not fair. And maybe we're not being fair. Maybe we should look at things from his point of view...... Michael, there are two sides to everything. Remember, it's not only that you didn't give Daddy the money, but you gave it to somebody he's dead against... I haven't been home more than ten minutes and I've already had a fight with my father and my mother and now you." Mike says, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," but Gloria cuts him off with, "Oh shut up and eat your meatloaf," to which Mike says, "It's hamburgers," bringing Gloria to shout, "It's the same thing!" hahahaha!

Meanwhile, Archie and Edith eat their dinner and discuss the argument between Mike and Gloria. Edith tries quoting an old saying, but mangles it badly, causing Archie to say, "I've got an old saying for you, Edith. A bird that always flies in a fog is called a dingbat." *** Mike and Gloria come out of the kitchen and get ready to watch the election returns, but Archie won't allow it, so Mike tells Gloria that they can go to McGovern's local campaign headquarters to watch the returns. This brings Archie to say, "That's right, you've got $200 of TV watchin' comin' to you there." Mike gets angry and takes the $150 from his pocket and gives it to Archie. Gloria explains to her father about how Mike has been working to get this money together. Mike tells Archie that just as he got this money, that he'll get Archie every nickel he owes him. Never one to be appreciative or to give out compliments, Archie wants to know when he'll get the remaining $50 of THIS money.    

* While "hell" or "damn" wouldn't even move the needle on modern network television, in those times, they were about as strong a couple of words that were allowed on television. For those of you who didn't live through that era, there were no true cable channels in those days where "strong language" was essentially permitted.

** Of course today, I can't imagine that word being used on network television. Since I grew up in a neighborhood that included a fairly large number of people of Polish background, including quite a number of actual Polish immigrants, the word was common there, and it was not uncommon for people of Polish descent to use it, although some Polish people took offense to it, as it wasn't so much the word, but the context of the word's usage that was derogatory. Certainly Archie Bunker's derogatory use of the word (in more than in just this episode) went a long way to making the word taboo on television and in every day society.

*** The word "dingbat" became so popular from Archie's use of it for Edith, that wherever you went back in those times, you were apt to hear someone called a "dingbat," and that's just what you'd hear people call me. Hm, I never have figured that out ....    

Photo is of the 2004 Sony Pictures Home Entertainment "All In The Family: Season Three" DVD set

WORD HISTORY:
Burgess-This is one of those words with a base from Germanic in a non Germanic language, which then developed its own offshoot and meaning, and which was then borrowed by English. It is related to "bourgeoisie," a word borrowed by English from French, and it is related to "berg" and to "burg(h)" (thus, "borough"), words from the Germanic roots of English. "Burgess" goes back to Indo European "buhrgh/bhrgh" which meant "high place." This gave Old Germanic "burg(s)," meaning, "castle, fortress, protected place or stronghold," since most castles were built on high places for their military benefit. Since these provided protection, many people came to live in such places, and as time passed, the name remained, but many of of stronghold characteristics began to disappear. English had forms of the word from Old Germanic as "burg," "burh" and "burgh," which brought the development of the compounds "burgleoda" and "burgsittend," both of which meant "citizen, resident" (English eventually borrowed Latin-derived "citizen" from French). Meanwhile, Old French had a form of the Germanic word either passed to it from Latin "burgensis" (which had borrowed it from Germanic initially as "burgus"), which meant, "citizen/resident of a walled town," or French directly borrowed the word from Frankish, a Germanic language/dialect; the French form back then being "burjois," again with the "citizen/resident" meaning. The form carted to England by the Normans was (or shortly became?) "burgeis," and English borrowed that form in the early 1200s, before the modern form. By circa 1500 it was used for a member of Parliament who represented a "borough" (the close relative of "burgess"). In 1600's Colonial America, the lower house of the Virginia legislative body was called the "House of Burgesses." It has also been used in some places for other local legal authorities (magistrates).  

Costa Rican Rice & Beans: Gallo Pinto

Rice was taken to Central and South America centuries ago by the Spanish,* who had gotten it from Arab and Berber sources during the gradual conquest of large parts of Spain by these people, often called "Moors." The Arabs and Berbers had gotten rice from Asians. Rice and bean combinations are common throughout Central and South America, as well as on many of the islands of the Caribbean, and each area has its own recipe, sometimes involving the type of beans used or the kinds of seasonings added for flavoring.  "Gallo Pinto" is the name of the recipe variety used in Costa Rica, as well as in Nicaragua and Panama, where red beans are used in the latter two nations. The name means "spotted rooster," seemingly from the spotted look of the mixture of the beans with the rice. It is one of the national dishes of Costa Rica, although there are a variety of recipes for "Gallo Pinto," including some that use red beans in parts of that country too. 

Cook the white rice per the instructions on the package of the brand you use. It is best if you cook the rice first and then let it cool while you prepare the other ingredients. The cooled rice grains should separate more easily. You can even prepare the rice hours ahead, or even the day before, and then refrigerate it, as the chilled rice grains will definitely separate more easily. I've listed red bell pepper in the ingredients, but you can use any mild red pepper. This is not a spicy hot dish. The "Salsa Lizano" is what really makes this "Gallo Pinto" recipe Costa Rican. The commercially produced brand of "Salsa Lizano" I have is grayish or brownish in color, with a tart and "mustardy" taste ('mustard flour,' presumably ground mustard, is listed as one of its ingredients). Salsa Lizano is available in bottles at some American supermarkets or Latino markets. It is easy to make at home, although homemade varieties will likely have a somewhat different color and taste. You can make it as tart or as sweet as you like. Here is the link to the recipe:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2020/01/costa-rican-table-sauce-salsa-lizano.html
I used half commercially produced and half homemade Salsa Lizano in the recipe the second time I made Gallo Pinto. There wasn't a huge difference in taste, but some. You can use dried black beans, soak them and then cook them, or you can use canned black beans drained, but keep about 1/3 cup of the liquid for use in the dish. 

Ingredients:

3 cups canned black beans, along with 1/3 cup of the liquid
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
3 cloves minced garlic
2/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
5 tablespoons Salsa Lizano
2 1/2 to 3 cups cooked white rice, preferably well cooled or even chilled
3 tablespoons regular olive oil
1 "good" pinch of salt
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro

In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and the red pepper; cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, then add the garlic. Let the onion and red pepper soften. Add the cooked beans (with the 1/3 cup liquid), Salsa Lizano and cooked rice (I refrigerate the rice well ahead of time, then I use my hands to add the rice to the skillet, using my fingers to break up any clumps of rice.) Add the chopped cilantro and salt and mix everything together well. Let the mixture heat through. You can certainly sprinkle more chopped cilantro on top to garnish the Gallo Pinto.

* The Portuguese took rice to Brazil, long a colony of Portugal. 

Gallo Pinto served with a salad for a light lunch ...

A commercial brand of Salsa Lizano from Costa Rica

Gallo Pinto is often served with a fried egg or two ...

WORD HISTORY:
Parochial (Parish)-These are really compounds, with the second part of the words being distantly related to "village," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English from Latin-based French, and to the "wick" part of names like "Brunswick" and "Gatwick," from the Germanic roots of English, but borrowed into Germanic from Latin. The first part goes back to Indo European "per/preh," which meant, "before, in front." This gave transliterated Ancient Greek "para," meaning, "near, nearby, beside." ^ The second part goes back to Indo European "weik," (seemingly meaning?) "settlement, place to dwell." This gave transliterated Ancient Greek "oikos," meaning, "dwelling place, house, hall."These parts gave transliterated Ancient Greek "pároikos," meaning, "neighboring residence," but also, "temporary residence of travelers, often of foreigners." This produced Greek "păroikĭ́ā," meaning in religious context, "diocese/parish." This was borrowed by Latin as "parochia," meaning, "(a) parish," and this passed into Latin-based Old French as "paroisse," and this was taken to England by the Normans (as "parosse?"), which eventually became "paroche." English borrowed the word as "parisshe/parishe," before the modern spelling and with the meaning, 1) "an administrative part of a diocese which has its own church;" 2) the churchgoers and community of members of a parish church who are collectively called "parishioners." Latin "parochia" spawned the adjective "parochialis," meaning, "of, about or pertaining to a parish." This passed into Old French as "parochial" (also as  "parochiel?") and English borrowed the word circa 1400.      

^ Besides meaning "near, nearby, beside," it also meant, "taken from, derived from, near to (in the sense, 'opposite to');" thus also, "against, contrary to." 

Austro-German Fried Celery Root (Celeriac)

While my recipe below varies a little from the recipe in this book, it was this book, which I've owned for quite a number of years, that gave me the idea to try a recipe for fried celery root, with such recipes not being uncommon in Germany and Austria (maybe Switzerland?). I'm not sure if the book is even available anymore, either in English or in the original German, but if you get a copy, be sure to eat first; otherwise, you'll want to fix every recipe in the book just from seeing the wonderful photographs. "Austria, a culinary tour," by Gerda Rob, translated from German to English by Guthrie Thomson, with photos by Hans Joachim Döbbelin. Sigloch Edition 1994, printed in Immenstadt, Germany, bookbinding in Künzelsau, Germany.

In German, there is no one name for fried celery root. German for celery root/celeriac is properly "Knollensellerie," but in certain contexts you might just see "Sellerie," or other forms like "Zeller," "Wurzelsellerie," or even "Sellerieknolle" (see Word History, below).

Serve with tartar sauce*or ranch dressing,** along with ham, sausages or smoked pork shoulder; that is, cottage ham, and in German "Geräucherte Schweineschulter." ***

Ingredients:

2 celery roots (baseball size), peeled and sliced into about 1/2 inch thick slices
3 tablespoons lemon juice 
1 to 1 1/4 cup flour (divided use)
1/4 cup bread crumbs (I prefer fine breadcrumbs with this, not panko)
2 eggs
1/3 to 2/3 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper 
1/2 teaspoon salt
olive oil for frying

After peeling and slicing the celery root, sprinkle the slices with the lemon juice. Heat enough water in a pan/pot to cover the celery root slices (be sure to pour in the lemon juice from the slices too). Add about a tablespoon of salt and and bring the water to a boil. Simmer the celery root slices until just tender, drain them. Dust the slices on both sides with a little flour. Mix together 3/4 cup flour, breadcrumbs, eggs, pepper, salt, and 1/3 cup white wine to make a batter (if too thick, add a little more white wine). Dip the flour dusted celery root slices into the batter. Fry the slices in preheated regular olive oil until golden brown. I use a skillet, but if you have a deep fryer, great! Drain the fried slices on paper towels and sprinkle with salt to taste. 

* To make your own tartar sauce, here is the link to the recipe:
https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/09/homemade-tartar-sauce.html

** To make your own ranch dressing, here is the link to the recipe:
https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/06/homemade-ranch-dressing.html 

*** The German word and food product "Katenschinken" is literally the equivalent to English "Cottage Ham," with "Katen" the close relative of English "cott," and "Schinken" the close relative of English "shank;" thus "ham." Cottage hams come from the pork shoulder of the front leg of the pig, while German Katenschinken are from the rear leg of the pig. Katenschinken are a specialty ham product of Holstein in northern Germany, where the small smokehouses were dubbed "Katen" (pronounced much like English "cotton"); the true meaning of which is, like its English cousin, "a small house in the countryside."
 
In this case, I had the Fried Celery Root with ranch dressing and knockwurst ...

WORD HISTORY:
Knoll-This word is related to  "knot," a word from the Germanic roots of English, and to "gnocchi," a word borrowed by English from Italian, which had gotten it from Lombardic, a Germanic dialect/language. It goes back to an Indo European form of, "gn/kn/gen/ken," which had the notion of "press, pinch into a compressed form or a ball." This gave Germanic a form of (perhaps?) "knuðla" (=knuthla), meaning, "clump, clod, lump." This gave Old English "cnoll," meaning "a hilltop, a mound." The spelling then changed to "knoll." Its German relative is "Knolle," and interestingly, while English speakers saw the "clump, lump" as being on top of the Earth's surface, German speakers saw it as being being below the Earth's surface; that is, "bulbous plant root, tuber." Low German has both "Knüll" (small hill) and "Knoll" (plant root, tuber), Dutch has "knol" (tuber), Old Norse had "knollr" (mountain top, hilltop), but it's unclear to me how, or even if, the word continued into the modern North Germanic languages from Old Norse or was borrowed from other Germanic languages; for instance, Danish uses "knold" for "tuber," and indeed, "knoldselleri" means "celery root," and Swedish has "knöl" (tuber, lump, knob). In American English especially, "knoll" has featured prominently and controversially in the investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963 in Dallas, Texas, as an area called "the grassy knoll" was a possible site of a shot or shots fired at the president.

Costa Rican Table Sauce: Salsa Lizano

This is a common brown to reddish brown sauce in Costa Rica and it's made at home by some, but it is also commercially produced and sold in bottles. It is sprinkled onto various foods and it is also used in recipes, especially in Costa Rican style rice and beans, called "Gallo Pinto" (I'll be doing this soon). It is not very spicy hot, although I like to add a hot dried red chili to the recipe for a little "zip."

The ingredients will be processed/blended, so how you chop them is not all that important.

Ingredients:

3 Guajillo or Ancho (dried Poblano) chilies, seeded and stems removed
(optional) 1 dried hot red chili 
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup carrot, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 cup water to cook the chilies, then used in the sauce
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 heaping teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt

Simmer the chilies in a cup of water for 6 or 8 minutes. Add the chilies and water to a blender or processor. Add the other ingredients and blend or process until smooth

WORD HISTORY:
Peon-This word is related to "pedestrian," a Latin derived word borrowed by English, and it is distantly related, through Indo European, to "foot," a word from the Germanic roots of English. It goes back to Indo European "ped/pod," which meant "foot, lower part of the leg." This gave Latin "pes," meaning "foot," with the accusative case being "pedem," and the dative being "pedi," and all plural cases beginning with "ped." This produced Latin "pedonem" meaning, "one who goes on foot," which in the Middle Ages took on the specific meaning, "foot soldier." This gave Portuguese "peon," which later became "peão," with the "foot soldier" meaning. The Portuguese and the English established themselves in India, and in the 1600s, English borrowed the word from Portuguese, but in India, and it meant (specific to India), "a native Indian member of law enforcement," but also "foot soldier" and "one who delivers messages on foot." Meanwhile, Spanish had "peon" from the same Latin source as Portuguese, but it had taken the meaning, "worker." By the first half of the 1800s, American English had picked up the meaning "farm worker working off a debt to a landowner" from Mexican Spanish, and this became the prime meaning in American English, with further development into, "low status worker" (from the idea of working low level jobs to pay debt). This became the main meaning in English.   

Austro-German Boiled Beef: Tafelspitz

This dish has a strong tie to Vienna, but it is well known in other parts of Austria and Germany, especially in Bavaria. In German, "Tafelspitz" literally means "table tip or point," presumably because of its shape (see photos below). "Spitz" means "point or tip" in German, and it is closely related to English "spit," not the saliva meaning, but rather, "a pointed rod used for cooking meat;" that is, a type of "skewer." While in more recent times some may use various cuts of beef, the dish seemingly originated by the use of what in the U.S. is called a tri-tip, or triangle roast, which is still the traditional choice for this dish; in fact, the name "Tafelspitz" is also used for that specific cut of beef in German, although, as in just about all things German having to do with food, there are regional names like, "Hüferschwanz," "Hiefelschwanzl," "Pastorenstück." Because the slow simmering of the beef drains much of the flavor from the vegetables, when the meat is done, it is best to strain the broth and discard the vegetables, then cook fresh vegetables in the broth for serving with the beef. Celeriac (celery root) is pretty easily found these days in many supermarkets or produce shops, or you can use parsnips.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pound beef tri-tip/top round roast
3 large carrots, divided use
1 onion (baseball size)
1 celery root (celeriac, baseball size), peeled, or 1 or 2 parsnips, peeled
2 stalks celery (with leaves)
(optional) beef marrow bones
10 peppercorns, cracked
1 tablespoon salt (or to taste)

Apple/Horseradish Salad
2 apples, peeled and cored
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon sugar (more if needed)
2 to 3 tablespoons horseradish (freshly grated or from a jar, but drained)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Place the roast into a pot, cover it with water, and add one of the carrots (washed, but it needn't be peeled). Halve the onion and peel one of the halves, then roughly chop it and add it to the pot. Add the other onion half, skin on, to the pot, along with the celery stalks (each cut into 3 pieces). If you have a couple of marrow bones, add them to the pot and toss in the peppercorns, but do not add salt at this time. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Remove the meat and strain the broth into another pan or large bowl. Remove the marrow bones, if using, from the strained matter, you can then discard the rest of the strained matter. Return the broth to the pot and add the remaining 2 carrots, but this time you can peel them and slice them into multiple pieces. Peel the celery root or parsnips and cut them into multiple pieces also, then add them to the pot, along with the salt. Bring the broth to a boil again and cook the vegetables until they are tender. For the apple/horseradish: grate the peeled and cored apples into a bowl (sprinkle on some lemon juice as you grate the apples; otherwise, the grated apples will begin to turn brown). When the apples are grated, add any remaining lemon juice, the sugar, the salt and the horseradish, then mix everything together well. Horseradish can lose its "zip" if it sets too long, so it's best to grate it fresh and serve the apple/horseradish alongside the meat immediately.

Slice the meat rather thinly across the grain and serve with the just cooked vegetables and the apple/horseradish salad; additionally, fried potatoes, called "Bratkartoffeln" in German, are a frequent side dish for "Tafelspitz."    

WORD HISTORY:
Claw-This word is related to "clay" and to "cleave" (the verb meaning, "to stick or cling to"), both words from the Germanic roots of English, and to "glue," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English through French. It goes back to Indo European "gleuh/gleyh," which had the notion of "stick together, adhere," with the further sense, "form into a ball." This gave Old Germanic "klawo," with the meaning, "animal foot forming a round shape or appearing to form a round shape." This gave Old English "clea," meaning "claw, nail of a claw," and then the form "clawu," with the same meanings. This then became "clawe/claue," before the modern form. Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German has "Klaue," meaning, "claw," but also secondarily, "hoof," perhaps from the split in a hoof resembling a claw? Low German "Klau" (claw), West Frisian "klau" (claw), Dutch "klauw" (claw), Swedish, Danish, Norwegian "klo" (claw), Icelandic "kló" (claw). The verb form seems to have come from an Old Germanic form like "klaujanan" (?), which gave Old English "clawian" (to claw or scratch), with relative German "klauen" having somewhat more extensive meanings like, "to steal," in the sense, 'to snatch away, to swipe,' seemingly from the notion of birds of prey swooping down and using their claws to snatch up small animals or birds, but also meaning simply, "to seize, to grab," and further, "to crawl (like a crab)," seemingly from the idea of the crab having claws and their moving like a crawl. Verb forms in Low German (klouwen) and Dutch (clouwen) are now archaic.