shellac

From shell +‎ lac, calque of French laque en écailles (literally “lac in scales/shells”).

• IPA^(key): /ʃəˈlæk/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æk

shellac (countable and uncountable, plural shellacs)

1. A processed secretion of the lac insect, Coccus lacca; used in polishes, varnishes etc.
   • 2002 April 29, Norman Pearlstine, “A Month Of Mondays If that doesn't give you the blues, nothing will. Norman Pearlstine ranks his favorite versions of the classic "Stormy Monday Blues"--one for every doggone working day of the month.”, in CNN Money‎^[1]:

     But, she says, a wartime ban on recordings using shellac and vinyl kept the Walker version from being released.

   • 2019 November 5, Alice Bell, “Can science break its plastic addiction?”, in CNN‎^[2]:

     At the turn of the century, the ever-expanding electrical industry was running low on shellac, a resin secreted by the female lac bug which could be used as an insulating material.

2. (informal, US) A beating; a thrashing.

• E904 when used as a glazing agent.

shellac (third-person singular simple present shellacs, present participle shellacking, simple past and past participle shellacked)

1. (transitive) To coat with shellac.
2. (informal, US, transitive) To beat; to thrash.
3. (informal, US, transitive) To inflict a heavy defeat upon.
   • 1987, George F. Will, The New Season: A Spectator's Guide to the 1988 Election, Simon and Schuster, page 21:

     In 1964 Goldwater ran rambunctiously, flat-out against government. He got shellacked.

   • 1987, Tim McCarver, Ray Robinson, Oh, Baby, I Love It!, Villard Books, page 220:

     In another the Mets were shellacked, 9-1, with a stray ninth-inning home run by Strawberry after two outs, preventing a shutout.