shellac

get a shellacking

1. To be thoroughly beaten or thrashed; to suffer rough treatment or abuse. My younger brother was always a shy, skinny kid who often got a shellacking from schoolyard bullies. My feet have gotten a shellacking from hiking in these old sneakers.
2. To be soundly defeated or bested; to lose by a wide margin. Their team's inexperience showed on the field today, as they got a shellacking from the New England Patriots. Their party got an absolute shellacking in the recent elections, losing nearly two thirds of their seats in Congress.
See also: get, shellac

give (someone or something) a shellacking

1. To thoroughly beat or thrash someone or something; to give someone or something rough treatment or abuse. My younger brother was always a shy, skinny kid, so schoolyard bullies often gave him a shellacking. These old sneakers really gave my feet a shellacking while we were hiking.
2. To soundly defeat or best someone or something, especially by a wide margin. Their team's inexperience showed on the field today, as a seemingly unstoppable New England team gave them a shellacking. The rival party has given them an absolute shellacking in the recent elections—they've lost nearly two thirds of their seats in Congress.
See also: give, shellac

shellacked

1. slang Severely beaten or battered; thrashed. Primarily heard in US. I walked into a rough part of town and got shellacked by a groups of thugs.
2. slang Decisively defeated or dominated. Primarily heard in US. We knew we didn't have any chance of winning the game, so our goal was not to get completely shellacked.
3. dated slang Extremely drunk; plastered. I've gotta get up early for work tomorrow, so I can't be here getting shellacked until all hours of the night.
See also: shellac

shellacking

1. slang A severe physical beating or thrashing. The school bullies gave Tom a shellacking after he insulted them in the hallway.
2. slang A decisive defeat or domination, as in sports. We knew we didn't have any chance of winning the game, so our goal was just to avoid a complete shellacking.
See also: shellac

take a shellacking

1. To be thoroughly beaten or thrashed; to suffer rough treatment or abuse. My younger brother was always a shy, skinny kid who often took a shellacking from schoolyard bullies. My feet have taken a shellacking from hiking in these old sneakers.
2. To be soundly defeated or bested; to lose by a wide margin. Their team's inexperience showed on the pitch today, as they took a shellacking from the powerful squad from New Zealand.
See also: shellac, take
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

*shellacking

 
1. Fig. a physical beating. (*Typically: get ~; take ~; give someone ~.) The boxer took a shellacking and lost the fight. I got a shellacking when I broke the window.
2. Fig. a beating—as in sports. (*Typically: get ~; take ~; give someone ~.) Our team played well, but got a shellacking anyway. I practiced my tennis game so I wouldn't take a shellacking in the tournament.
See also: shellac
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

take a shellacking

Be soundly beaten or defeated, as in Our team took quite a shellacking last night. Why being coated with shellac should suggest defeat is not clear. [Slang; c. 1930]
See also: shellac, take
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

shellac

(ʃəˈlæk)
tv. to beat someone; to outscore someone. (see also shellacked, shellacking.) We’re gonna shellac those bums Friday night.

shellacked

1. mod. beaten; outscored. They were shellacked, and they knew it.
2. mod. alcohol intoxicated; overcome by booze. Ernie was so shellacked he couldn’t see.
See also: shellac

shellacking

n. a beating. We gave them a shellacking they’ll never forget.
See also: shellac
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • get a shellacking
  • take a shellacking
  • take a punishing
  • get a hammering
  • give somebody/get a hammering
  • take a hammering
  • take a drubbing
  • take a beating
  • give (one) a hammering
  • give (someone or something) a shellacking
References in periodicals archive
Shellac was obtained from Indian Institute of Natural Resin and Gums (IINRG), Ranchi, India.
Development of new shellac based pH responsive polymer for biomedical applications
During the first half of the twentieth century, shellac discs influenced the dissemination of popular genres (jazz, blues, and country music).
Vinyl: A History of the Analogue Record
Gel - An alternative to Shellac to strengthen and smooth out imperfect nails.
HOW TO NAIL THAT LOOK; Get the perfect manicure and pedicure
Shellac, which is an English word, (gomme a laque in French) is a resinous substance obtained by the secretion of an insect seen in India and Thailand.
Discovering the layers hidden in ceramic bodies: A Feyza Cakir Ozgundogdu describes her technique for shellac resist
With the recent increases in the price of petroleum-derived substances, materials from readily renewable resources, such as shellac, have become more important.
A shellac derivative in thermoset coatings
Shellac may be applied with a brush, foam brush or from a can.
Wood finishes
Many of these recordings take the shape of lacquered discs, shellac discs, or celluloid cylinders.
Resurrecting audio
Tokyo, Japan, Aug 9, 2005 - (JCNN) - Ivy Cosmetics (TSE: 4918) announced on August 5 that it has identified a unique property of shellac, a natural resin secreted by insect Laccifera Lacca.
Ivy Cosmetics, Kitasato University Jointly Confirm That Shellac May Combat Skin Disorders
The earth in the picture is not prettily painted: Kiefer has used a mixture of oil paint, straw, shellac, and emulsion to create a dense, dark, thick surface.
Angels and demons
I asked guitarist Andrew Jones and keyboard player Zach Miller about how the sense of rural dread ("I went out to the shed and put shellac in my head, but nobody noticed but me") creeps into the music of a rock band from Philly.
Dr Dog
A shellac coating applied to the bones as a preservative shortly after their discovery obscures many surface features on the bones, he asserts.
Stone age cutups: deathly rituals emerge at Neandertal site
After decorating, pieces can be sealed and made water-resistant by coating with shellac or varnish.
American Art Clay Co., Inc. (AMACO[R])
They have an extensive product range including gums, waxes, shellac, colours, calcium carbonate, lecithin and many other functional ingredients.
Thew Arnott release Beltease
offers Ko 143 Hard Wax Plus, a colored synthetic shellac filler, developed for quick repairs that can withstand severe use.
Cabinet maintenance kits
As an alternative to alcohol-based shellac glazes currently used by candy makers, water-based WPI coatings-when plasticized with sucrose-are able to provide gloss to chocolates.
Examine the effects of sucrose level on gloss, durability of whey coatings