"clawing" in the verb sense
1. claw
move as if by clawing, seizing, or digging
"They clawed their way to the top of the mountain"
2. claw
clutch as if in panic
"She clawed the doorknob"
3. claw
scratch, scrape, pull, or dig with claws or nails
4. claw
attack as if with claws
"The politician clawed his rival"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
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