shellback

[ shel-bak ]

/ ˈʃɛlˌbæk /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR shellback ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an old sailor.

a person who has crossed the equator by boat.

Words nearby shellback

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

Origin of shellback

First recorded in 1880–85; shell + back¹

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

Examples from the Web for shellback

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
And there are barrels of it in this town, Mr. Shellback Holmes, waiting to be converted into song.
Anderson Crow, Detective|George Barr McCutcheon
Skinner, you don't suppose Matt's like every other shellback of a skipper?
Cappy Ricks Retires|Peter B. Kyne
The word was no sooner spoken than our shellback again excelled himself.
A Labrador Doctor|Wilfred Thomason Grenfell

"There's never a flat foot nor a shellback but will tell you same thing, messmate," agreed Ferral heartily.
Motor Matt's Hard Luck|Stanley R. Matthews
I s'pose she thought mebbe Parsonsbridge butter would churn easier than Shellback; I dono.
Mrs. Tree|Laura E. Richards

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

noun

Words related to shellback

Words nearby shellback

Origin of shellback

Examples from the Web for shellback

British Dictionary definitions for shellback

noun