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.

Nearby words

shell steak, shell suit, shell-like, shell-shocked, shellac, shellacking, shellback, shellbark, shellcracker, shelled, sheller

Origin of shellacking

First recorded in 1880–85; shellac + -ing¹

Definition for shellacking (2 of 2)

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 (1 of 2)

shellacking

/ (ʃəˈlækɪŋ, ˈʃɛlækɪŋ) /

noun

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

British Dictionary definitions for shellacking (2 of 2)

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 Forms

shellacker, 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

Idioms and Phrases with shellacking

shellacking

see take a shellacking.