shellacking

[ shuh-lak-ing ]

/ ʃəˈlæk ɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR shellacking ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Slang.

an utter defeat: a shellacking their team will remember.

a sound thrashing: His father gave him a shellacking for stealing the book.

RELATED WORDS

strike, varnish, trounce, defeat

Nearby words

Origin of shellacking

First recorded in 1880–85; shellac + -ing¹

shellac

or shel·lack

[ shuh-lak ]

/ ʃəˈlæk /

noun

lac that has been purified and formed into thin sheets, used for making varnish.

a varnish (shellac varnish) made by dissolving this material in alcohol or a similar solvent.

a phonograph record made of a breakable material containing shellac, especially one to be played at 78 r.p.m.: an LP that can hold nearly 10 times as much as the old shellac.

verb (used with object), shel·lacked, shel·lack·ing.

to coat or treat with shellac.

Slang.

to defeat; trounce.
to thrash soundly.

Origin of shellac

1705–15; shell + lac¹, translation of French laque en écailles lac in thin plates

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for shellacking

In 2010, when Democrats lost the House, Obama called it a “shellacking.”
In Press Conference, Obama Turns Conciliatory—Mostly|Eleanor Clift|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For Paul, the shellacking is even worse, with Clinton beating him by 11 points overall and by 28 points with the kids.
Hillary's Got a Millennial Problem|Nick Gillespie|August 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many politicians who had taken a shellacking would retreat to their home base and start rebuilding a career.
Mitt Romney’s Fast Fade After Losing the 2012 Presidential Race|Lauren Ashburn|November 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
After 2010 shellacking, ‪Democrats belatedly embrace super PACs.
Democrats Belatedly Find the Benefits of Citizens United|Ben Jacobs|March 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST

But that means he will have to outmaneuver a president determined to avenge the shellacking that handed Boehner the gavel.
John Boehner's Reality Check|Howard Kurtz|January 3, 2011|DAILY BEAST
By repeated oiling and shellacking one produces a French polish that is very durable and elastic.
Hunting with the Bow and Arrow|Saxton Pope
On no account finally connect up the battery to a circuit when shellacking the wire.
Electric Gas Lighting|Norman H. Schneider
Shellacking of covers has been advocated by some librarians, but it is doubtful if it pays.
Library Bookbinding|Arthur Low Bailey

British Dictionary definitions for shellacking

shellacking

/ (ʃəˈlækɪŋ, ˈʃɛlækɪŋ) /

noun

slang, mainly US and Canadian a complete defeat; a sound beatinganyone who gives a shellacking to their bigger neighbours

shellac

/ (ʃəˈlæk, ˈʃɛlæk) /

noun

a yellowish resin secreted by the lac insect, esp a commercial preparation of this used in varnishes, polishes, and leather dressings

Also called: shellac varnish a varnish made by dissolving shellac in ethanol or a similar solvent

a gramophone record based on shellac

verb -lacs, -lacking or -lacked (tr)

to coat or treat (an article) with a shellac varnish

US slang to defeat completely

Derived Formsshellacker, noun

Word Origin for shellac

C18: shell + lac 1, translation of French laque en écailles, literally: lac in scales, that is, in thin plates

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for shellacking

shellac

1713, from shell (n.) + lac (see lacquer). Translates French laque en écailles "lac in thin plates."

shellac

1876, from shellack (n.). The slang sense of "beat soundly" is 1920s, perhaps from the notion of shellac as a "finish." Shellacked "drunk" is from 1922 (cf. plastered). Related: Shellacking.

Idioms and Phrases with shellacking

shellacking

see take a shellacking.