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A.Word.A.Day--shellac

shellac (shuh-LAK) verb tr.

1. To coat or treat with varnish.

2. To defeat easily or decisively.

3. To strike repeatedly; batter.

noun

1. Purified lac (a resinous substance secreted by the female of the lac insect) in the form of thin sheets.

2. Varnish made by dissolving this material in alcohol or other solvent.

3. A phonograph record made of this substance, played at 78 rpm.

[From shell + lac (translation of French laque en ecailles: lac in thin plates).]

See more usage examples of shellac in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

"The other two competing nations in the Churchill are Argentina and the United States, the latter shellacked 77-3 by Wales last week." Lance Hornby; Wales Blows Past Canada; The Free Press (London, UK);
Jun 12, 2005.

This week's theme: slang.

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