shell out
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verb
(adverb) informal to pay out or hand over (money)
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Word Origin for shell out
C19: from shell (in the sense: to remove from a pod or (figuratively) a purse)
Words nearby shell out
shellflower, shell game, shell gland, shell jacket, shell-like, shell out, shell pink, shell program, shellproof, shell shock, shell-shocked
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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How to use shell out in a sentence
Other Idioms and Phrases with shell out
shell out
Pay, hand over, as in We had to shell out $1,000 for auto repairs. This expression transfers taking a seed such as a pea or nut out of its pod or shell to taking money out of one's pocket. [Colloquial; c. 1800]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.