shellac

English

Etymology

shell +‎ lac, calque translation of (deprecated template usage) [etyl] French laque (“lac”) + en (“in”) + écailles (“scales, shells”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃəˈlæk/

Noun

shellac (countable and uncountable, plural shellacs)

1. A processed secretion of the lac insect, Coccus lacca; used in polishes, varnishes etc.
2. (informal, US) A beating; a thrashing.

Synonyms

• E904 when used as a glazing agent

Translations

processed secretion of the lac insect

• Armenian: դոճախեժ (hy) (dočaxež), շելլակ (hy) (šellak)
• Catalan: goma laca (ca) f
• Dutch: schellak (nl) m or n
• Finnish: sellakka (fi)
• French: gomme-laque f
• German: Schellack (de) m
• Hindi: चपड़ा (hi) (capṛā)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: gommalacca (it) f
• Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: szelak (pl) m, gumilaka f
• Portuguese: goma-laca (pt) f
• Spanish: goma laca f
• Swedish: schellack (sv) c

Verb

shellac (third-person singular simple present shellack, present participle ing, simple past and past participle shellaced)

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), p. 21:

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

   • 1987 Tim McCarver and Ray Robinson, Oh, Baby, I Love It! (Villard Books), p. 220:

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

Translations

to coat with shellac

• Finnish: lakata (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• French: démolir (fr)

to defeat decisively

• Russian: побежда́ть (ru) n or impf (pobeždátʹ)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}