The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Wire \Wire\ (w[imac]r), n. [OE. wir, AS. wir; akin to Icel.
   v[imac]rr, Dan. vire, LG. wir, wire; cf. OHG. wiara fine
   gold; perhaps akin to E. withy. [root]141.]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. A thread or slender rod of metal; a metallic substance
      formed to an even thread by being passed between grooved
      rollers, or drawn through holes in a plate of steel.
      [1913 Webster]

   Note: Wire is made of any desired form, as round, square,
         triangular, etc., by giving this shape to the hole in
         the drawplate, or between the rollers.
         [1913 Webster]

   2. A telegraph wire or cable; hence, an electric telegraph;
      as, to send a message by wire. [Colloq.]
      [1913 Webster]

   3. Chiefly in pl. The system of wires used to operate the
      puppets in a puppet show; hence (Chiefly Political Slang),
      the network of hidden influences controlling the action of
      a person or organization; as, to pull the wires for
      office; -- in this sense, synonymous with strings.
      [Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC]

   4. One who picks women's pockets. [Thieves' Slang]
      [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

   5. A knitting needle. [Scot.]
      [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

   6. A wire stretching across over a race track at the judges'
      stand, to mark the line at which the races end. [Racing
      Cant]
      [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

   Wire bed, Wire mattress, an elastic bed bottom or
      mattress made of wires interwoven or looped together in
      various ways.

   Wire bridge, a bridge suspended from wires, or cables made
      of wire.

   Wire cartridge, a shot cartridge having the shot inclosed
      in a wire cage.

   Wire cloth, a coarse cloth made of woven metallic wire, --
      used for strainers, and for various other purposes.

   Wire edge, the thin, wirelike thread of metal sometimes
      formed on the edge of a tool by the stone in sharpening
      it.

   Wire fence, a fence consisting of posts with strained
      horizontal wires, wire netting, or other wirework,
      between.

   Wire gauge or Wire gage.
      (a) A gauge for measuring the diameter of wire, thickness
          of sheet metal, etc., often consisting of a metal
          plate with a series of notches of various widths in
          its edge.
      (b) A standard series of sizes arbitrarily indicated, as
          by numbers, to which the diameter of wire or the
          thickness of sheet metal in usually made, and which is
          used in describing the size or thickness. There are
          many different standards for wire gauges, as in
          different countries, or for different kinds of metal,
          the Birmingham wire gauges and the American wire gauge
          being often used and designated by the abbreviations
          B. W. G. and A. W. G. respectively.

   Wire gauze, a texture of finely interwoven wire, resembling
      gauze.

   Wire grass (Bot.), either of the two common grasses
      Eleusine Indica, valuable for hay and pasture, and Poa
      compressa, or blue grass. See Blue grass.

   Wire grub (Zool.), a wireworm.

   Wire iron, wire rods of iron.

   Wire lathing, wire cloth or wire netting applied in the
      place of wooden lathing for holding plastering.

   Wire mattress. See Wire bed, above.

   Wire micrometer, a micrometer having spider lines, or fine
      wires, across the field of the instrument.

   Wire nail, a nail formed of a piece of wire which is headed
      and pointed.

   Wire netting, a texture of woven wire coarser than ordinary
      wire gauze.

   Wire rod, a metal rod from which wire is formed by drawing.


   Wire rope, a rope formed wholly, or in great part, of
      wires.

   down to the wire, up to the last moment, as in a race or
      competition; as, the two front runners were neck-and-neck
      down to the wire. From wire[6].

   under the wire, just in time; shortly before the deadline;
      as, to file an application just under the wire.
      [1913 Webster]
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Crab \Crab\ (kr[a^]b), n. [AS. crabba; akin to D. krab, G.
   krabbe, krebs, Icel. krabbi, Sw. krabba, Dan. krabbe, and
   perh. to E. cramp. Cf. Crawfish.]
   1. (Zool.) One of the brachyuran Crustacea. They are mostly
      marine, and usually have a broad, short body, covered with
      a strong shell or carapace. The abdomen is small and
      curled up beneath the body.
      [1913 Webster]

   Note: The name is applied to all the Brachyura, and to
         certain Anomura, as the hermit crabs. Formerly, it was
         sometimes applied to Crustacea in general. Many species
         are edible, the blue crab of the Atlantic coast being
         one of the most esteemed. The large European edible
         crab is Cancer padurus. Soft-shelled crabs are blue
         crabs that have recently cast their shells. See
         Cancer; also, Box crab, Fiddler crab, Hermit
         crab, Spider crab, etc., under Box, Fiddler.
         etc.
         [1913 Webster]

   2. The zodiacal constellation Cancer.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. [See Crab, a.] (Bot.) A crab apple; -- so named from its
      harsh taste.
      [1913 Webster]

            When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl,
            Then nightly sings the staring owl.   --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. A cudgel made of the wood of the crab tree; a crabstick.
      [Obs.] --Garrick.
      [1913 Webster]

   5. (Mech.)
      (a) A movable winch or windlass with powerful gearing,
          used with derricks, etc.
      (b) A form of windlass, or geared capstan, for hauling
          ships into dock, etc.
      (c) A machine used in ropewalks to stretch the yarn.
      (d) A claw for anchoring a portable machine.
          [1913 Webster]

   Calling crab. (Zool.) See Fiddler., n., 2.

   Crab apple, a small, sour apple, of several kinds; also,
      the tree which bears it; as, the European crab apple
      (Pyrus Malus var. sylvestris); the Siberian crab apple
      (Pyrus baccata); and the American (Pyrus coronaria).


   Crab grass. (Bot.)
      (a) A grass (Digitaria sanguinalis syn. Panicum
          sanguinalis); -- called also finger grass.
      (b) A grass of the genus Eleusine (Eleusine Indica);
          -- called also dog's-tail grass, wire grass, etc.


   Crab louse (Zool.), a species of louse (Phthirius pubis),
      sometimes infesting the human body.

   Crab plover (Zool.), an Asiatic plover (Dromas ardeola).


   Crab's eyes, or Crab's stones, masses of calcareous
      matter found, at certain seasons of the year, on either
      side of the stomach of the European crawfishes, and
      formerly used in medicine for absorbent and antacid
      purposes; the gastroliths.

   Crab spider (Zool.), one of a group of spiders
      (Laterigrad[ae]); -- called because they can run
      backwards or sideways like a crab.

   Crab tree, the tree that bears crab applies.

   Crab wood, a light cabinet wood obtained in Guiana, which
      takes a high polish. --McElrath.

   To catch a crab (Naut.), a phrase used of a rower:
      (a) when he fails to raise his oar clear of the water;
      (b) when he misses the water altogether in making a
          stroke.
          [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

wire grass
    n 1: handsome hardy North American grass with foliage turning
         pale bronze in autumn [syn: broom beard grass, prairie
         grass, wire grass, Andropogon scoparius,
         Schizachyrium scoparium]
    2: coarse annual grass having fingerlike spikes of flowers;
       native to Old World tropics; a naturalized weed elsewhere
       [syn: yardgrass, yard grass, wire grass, goose grass,
       Eleusine indica]