Claw-Plach

Claw-Plach is a tradition instituted by the Decapodians. The relatively new part of this tradition (formed in 2982) is that once the challenge has been initiated, it must be finished. It is a fight to the death in a public arena to settle matters of honor, and also whether abbreviations count in (Zoidberg maintains that they don't), or, more usually, for money. Weapons are allowed, but some Decapodians prefer to use their own claws, so that they can have the pleasure of cutting their enemies themselves. The combatant who guesses the animal the Decapodian Emperor is thinking of has first choice of weapons. Dr. Zoidberg invoked Claw-Plach to challenge Fry for the hand of Edna.

Trivia

 * Claw-Plach is a parody of , a similar tradition from Star Trek, and the fight scene in "Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?" is a parody of  and Spock fighting in the "" episode. Before the Claw-Plach, the famous musical underscore composed by  for the "Amok Time" fight scene is briefly heard as the Decapodian "national anthem". The name, however, is derived from the traditional  phrase "". Literally translated, "Qapla'" means "success".
 * The word "Claw-Plach" may be a reference to the traditional Jewish dumpling dish.
 * Some captions, such as FOX8's, have "Claw-Plach" written as "Claw-bluk".