shuck

[ shuhk ]

/ ʃʌk /

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See synonyms for: shuck / shucks / shucker on Thesaurus.com

noun

a husk or pod, as the outer covering of corn, hickory nuts, chestnuts, etc.

Usually shucks. Informal. something useless or worthless: They don't care shucks about the project.

the shell of an oyster or clam.

verb (used with object)

to remove the shucks from: to shuck corn.

to remove or discard as or like shucks; peel off: to shuck one's clothes.

Slang. to get rid of (often followed by off): a bad habit I couldn't shuck off for years.

interjection

shucks, Informal. (used as a mild exclamation of disgust or regret.)

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THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.

Question 1 of 8

Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?

The Sunflower State

The Evergreen State

The Magnolia State

The Mockingbird State

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Origin of shuck

First recorded in 1665–75; origin uncertain

OTHER WORDS FROM shuck

shucker, noun

Definition for shuck (2 of 2)

shuck²

[ shuhk ]

/ ʃʌk /

verb (used with object) Slang.

to deceive or lie to.

Origin of shuck

1955–60; origin uncertain; perhaps from exclamation shucks! (see shuck¹) taken as a feigned sign of rural ignorance or a sham apology

Example sentences from the Web for shuck

Get these oysters shucked by your fishmonger, or shuck them yourself and toss on the grill.
6 simple recipes to showcase clams, mussels and oysters|Kari Sonde|January 11, 2021|Washington Post
As customers avoid seafood restaurants for fear of contracting the coronavirus, they’ve turned away from oysters, which can be difficult to shuck and prepare at home.
Solar-powered barge could take oyster farming deeper into Chesapeake|Christine Condon|January 11, 2021|Washington Post
She took me and a handful of other tourists to a smattering of small restaurants, trendy breweries and outdoor waterside vendors selling everything from freshly shucked oysters to provisions like locally pickled kelp.
This year, give a holiday gift that evokes your favorite city or state|Liza Weisstuch|December 3, 2020|Washington Post
He and Laddie put my doll in the corn shucker and they started to turn the wheel.
Six Little Bunkers at Grandma Bell's|Laura Lee Hope

That an oyster-shucker every month or so discovers a pearl which he goes out and sells for five hundred dollars.
The American Credo|George Jean Nathan
Maybe I could think up a riddle about a corn shucker, if I tried real hard.
Six Little Bunkers at Aunt Jo's|Laura Lee Hope

British Dictionary definitions for shuck

shuck

/ (ʃʌk) /

noun

the outer covering of something, such as the husk of a grain of maize, a pea pod, or an oyster shell

verb (tr)

to remove the shucks from

informal, mainly US and Canadian to throw off or remove (clothes, etc)

Derived forms of shuck

shucker, noun

Word Origin for shuck

C17: American dialect, of unknown origin

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

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