shellback

[ shel-bak ]

/ ˈʃɛlˌbæk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR shellback ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an old sailor.

a person who has crossed the equator by boat.

Nearby words

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

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of shellback

Examples from the Web for shellback

shellback

noun