shell

shell¹ W3 [ʃel] n

[: Old English; Origin: sciell]

1.)

a) the hard outer part that covers and protects an egg, nut, or seed

▪ Never buy eggs with cracked shells.

▪ peanuts roasted in their shells

b) the hard protective covering of an animal such as a ↑snail, ↑mussel, or ↑crab

▪ a snail shell

▪ The children were collecting shells on the beach.

→↑seashell

2.) a metal container, like a large bullet, which is full of an explosive substance and is fired from a large gun

▪ We ran for cover as shells dropped all around us.

▪ an exploding mortar shell

3.) especially AmE a metal tube containing a bullet and an explosive substance

= ↑cartridge

4.) the outside structure of something, especially the part of a building that remains when the rest of it has been destroyed

shell of

▪ the burnt-out shell of a nightclub

5.) out of your shell

becoming less shy and more confident and willing to talk to people

▪ I had hoped that university would bring him out of his shell .

▪ She's started to come out of her shell a little.

shell ²

shell² v [T]

1.) to fire shells from large guns at something

▪ The army has been shelling the town since yesterday.

2.) to remove something such as beans or nuts from a shell or ↑pod

▪ Josie was shelling peas in the kitchen.

shell out () [shell out (sth)] phr v

to pay a lot of money for something, especially unwillingly

▪ If you want the repairs done right, you'll have to shell out at least $800.

shell out (something) for

▪ She ended up shelling out for two rooms.