shellback

[ shel-bak ]

/ ˈʃɛlˌbæk /

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See synonyms for shellback on Thesaurus.com

noun

an old sailor.

a person who has crossed the equator by boat.

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“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

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Origin of shellback

First recorded in 1880–85; shell + back¹

Words nearby shellback

shelfware, Shelikof Strait, shell, shellac, shellacking, shellback, shellbark, shell bean, shell company, shellcracker, shelled

Other definitions for shellback (2 of 2)

shell back

noun

an underside of a spoon bowl ornamented with a shell motif.

How to use shellback in a sentence

Swedish producers Max Martin (“I Kissed a Girl”) and Shellback collaborate on some of her feistiest tunes.
Taylor Swift Dishes on Her New Album ‘Red,’ Dating, Heartbreak, and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’|Ramin Setoodeh|October 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
How could he give his life, with all its fair possibilities, all its high hopes, for this worn-out old shellback?
The Moving Finger|Mary Gaunt
At seven o'clock we dined together in the saloon—the skipper, an old shellback whom Walworth had picked up, sitting down with us.
The Beautiful White Devil|Guy Boothby
The word was no sooner spoken than our shellback again excelled himself.
A Labrador Doctor|Wilfred Thomason Grenfell

“The old shellback has our skipper,” whispered Captain Folsom to the boys.
The Radio Boys with the Revenue Guards|Gerald Breckenridge
Skinner, you don't suppose Matt's like every other shellback of a skipper?
Cappy Ricks Retires|Peter B. Kyne

British Dictionary definitions for shellback

shellback

/ (ˈʃɛlˌbæk) /

noun

informal a sailor who has crossed the equatorCompare polliwog (def. 2)

an experienced or old sailor

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

shellback

Origin of shellback

Words nearby shellback

Other definitions for shellback (2 of 2)

Words related to shellback

How to use shellback in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shellback