crab in a sack
n.— «They climbed on top of each other, and when the sack was opened, there were always a few dead ones, as the bigger and stronger ones crawled on the smaller ones, sometimes killing them. Hence the phrase �crabs inna sack.� When someone was ruthless and selfish, he was referred to as �crabs inna sack.�» —“A nostalgic glance backward” by Lydia Humes The Reporter (Belize City, Belize) July 7, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Jim in Columbia, South Carolina, has noticed sportscasters’ use of the phrase on the season with reference to a period of time. This construction shows up in the sports pages as early as the 1880s, first referring to a team’s revenue and...
The slang phrase someone ate and left no crumbs means the person did something really well. In a previous call, a listener who works in theater noted the use of ate to mean “did something well,” as in they really ate that haircut! This...