shellback

[shel-bak]

noun

1. an old sailor.

2. a person who has crossed the equator by boat.

shellback

/ ˈʃɛlˌbæk /

noun

1. informal,  a sailor who has crossed the equator Compare polliwog

2. an experienced or old sailor

Word History and Origins

Origin of shellback¹

First recorded in 1880–85; shell + back ¹

Example Sentences

To make “Showgirl,” she reteamed with the Swedish producers Max Martin and Shellback, with whom she’d collaborated on some of her biggest singles, including “Blank Space,” “Bad Blood” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”

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She made the song with help from Max Martin and Shellback, Swedish producers with a nearly unparalleled track record of hits.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

To prevent this from happening again, he has been careful to seek out co-writers—Ali Payami, Savan Kotecha, Shellback and more—who will challenge him, collaborators he’s “scared of playing stuff to,” as he put it in 2020.

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Before Wolf started recording with Martin, he remembers him saying, “I want to bring in Shellback, because I think we need somebody who’s younger, who’s hungry, to give it that energy and perspective.”

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Shellback, who played in metal bands before joining forces with Martin, adapted quickly to his new environment.

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Related Words

• boater 
• cadet 
• diver 
• marine 
• pilot