piddock
(ˈpɪdək)
Also piddick.
[Origin unascertained. It has the form of a dim. in -ock.]
A bivalve mollusc of the genus Pholas or family Pholadidæ, which burrow in soft rock, wood, etc.; esp. one of the common species, such as P. dactylus, with a long ovate shell, which are used for bait.
| 1851 Zoologist IX. 3175 Notes on the Pholas dactylus, or Sussex Piddick. 1868 Wood Homes without H. v. 99 Our next example of the burrowing molluscs is the well known Pholas, popularly called the piddock (Pholas dactylus). |