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shellacking - 4 dictionary results

shel⋅lack⋅ing

  [shuh-lak-ing]
Use shellacking in a Sentence
–noun Slang.
1. an utter defeat: a shellacking their team will remember.
2. a sound thrashing: His father gave him a shellacking for stealing the book.
Origin:
1880–85; shellac + -ing 1

shel⋅lac

  [shuh-lak] noun, verb, -lacked, -lack⋅ing.
–noun
1. lac that has been purified and formed into thin sheets, used for making varnish.
2. a varnish (shellac varnish) made by dissolving this material in alcohol or a similar solvent.
3. a phonograph record made of a breakable material containing shellac, esp. one to be played at 78 r.p.m.: an LP that can hold nearly 10 times as much as the old shellac.
–verb (used with object)
4. to coat or treat with shellac.
5. Slang.
a. to defeat; trounce.
b. to thrash soundly.
Also, shel⋅lack.

Origin:
1705–15; shell + lac 1 , trans. of F laque en écailles lac in thin plates
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To shellacking
shel·lac also shel·lack   (shə-lāk')   
n.  
  1. A purified lac in the form of thin yellow or orange flakes, often bleached white and widely used in varnishes, paints, inks, sealants, and formerly in phonograph records.
  2. A thin varnish made by dissolving this substance in denatured alcohol, used to finish wood.
  3. An old phonograph record containing this substance, typically played at 78 rpm.
tr.v.  
  1. shel·lacked also shel·lacked, shel·lack·ing also shel·lack·ing, shel·lacs also shel·lacks To coat or finish with shellac.
  2. Slang
    1. To strike repeatedly and severely; batter.
    2. To defeat decisively.

[shel(l) + lac (translation of French laque en écailles, lac in thin plates).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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shellacking

see take a shellacking.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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