hard-shell clam
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of hard-shell clam
An Americanism dating back to 1810–20
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And there is the simple hard-shell clam, Mercenaria mercenaria, the northern quahog.
From New York Times ● Jul. 14, 2010
For when we begin to consider wampum we have to begin to consider the familiar hard-shell clam of daily use, which was the basis of wampum.
From Modern Eloquence: Vol II, After-Dinner Speeches E-O by Thomas B. (Thomas Brackett) Reed
That was the money substance out of which he made the wampum, and the shell-heaps scattered over the island are mute monuments to an industry which was blasted by the demonetization of the hard-shell clam.
From Modern Eloquence: Vol II, After-Dinner Speeches E-O by Thomas B. (Thomas Brackett) Reed
When anything is goin' wrong with him he's allus as close-mouthed as a hard-shell clam with the lockjaw.
From The Mission of Janice Day by Corinne Turner
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
