• to bite the dust, to bite the ground, to kiss the dust, to lick the dust
• acrimonious, biter, cantankerous, criss-cross, snapping, snappish, snappy, vicious
• pincers, pinchers, pliers
• to be as cross as a bear with a sore head, to be as cross as two sticks, to be cross as a bear
• to bite off, to nibble, to snap off