half shell

noun

either of the halves of a double-shelled creature, as of an oyster, clam, or other bivalve mollusk.

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PUNCTUATION!

Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!

Question 1 of 10

Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.

Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of half shell

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60

Words nearby half shell

half pay, half pint, half relief, half rest, half seas over, half shell, half sister, half size, half snipe, half sole, half sovereign

Example sentences from the Web for half shell

You want a good-sized shell, or rather half-shell, some very strong thin twine, and a match.
Toy-Making at Home|Morley Adams
A half-dozen such oysters on the half-shell, would make a feast even for the most voracious oyster eater.
Ocean's Story; or Triumphs of Thirty Centuries|Edward Rowland
Oysters on the half-shell are served bedded in crushed ice in a soup plate.
Book of Etiquette, Volume 2|Lillian Eichler Watson
September does not always indicate golden sunshine, and ripening corn, and old gold pumpkin pies on the half-shell.
Remarks|Bill Nye

The subject for anatomical study is then prepared "upon the half-shell."
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide|Augusta Foote Arnold