Shell

subs. (military).—An undress jacket: also SHELL-JACKET.

  1886.  St. James’s Gazette, 22 Dec. Tunics and SHELLS and messing-jackets and caps.

  1890.  H. PYLE, Jamaica, New and Old, in Harper’s Magazine, lxxx. Feb., 396. Three turbaned soldiers in tight SHELL jackets and baggy breeches.

  2.  (school).—See quots.

  1857.  T. HUGHES, Tom Brown’s School-days, i. 5. The lower fifth, SHELL, and all the junior forms in order.

  1867.  W. L. COLLINS, The Public Schools, 178 (Westminster). At the end of this room [the schoolroom] there is a kind of semicircular apse, in which the ‘SHELL’ form were formerly taught, and the shape of which is said to have given rise to this name, since adopted at several other public schools.

  1875.  INGELOW, Fated to be Free, xix. The SHELL [Harrow] … means a sort of a class between the other classes.

  3.  (venery).—The female pudendum: see MONOSYLLABLE.

  4.  (old).—In pl. = money: see RHINO. Hence TO SHELL OUT = to pay. Fr. allonger les radis. SHELLING-OUT = ‘clubbing money together’ (GROSE).

  1591.  GREENE, The Second Part of Conny-catching [Works, x. 38]. The purse, the Bong. The monie, the SHELS.

  1611.  MIDDLETON, The Roaring Girle, v. 1. ’Tis a question whether there be any silver SHELLS amongst them, for all their satin outsides.

  1819.  T. MOORE, Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress, 27. Who knows but, if coax’d, he may SHELL OUT the shiners?

  1821.  P. EGAN, Life in London, II. iii. Another kevarten … and if you are too scaly to tip for it, I’ll SHELL OUT.

  1825.  NEAL, Brother Jonathan, III. xxxvii. Maybe you’ll treat, won’t you, if I SHELL OUT, fair; all’t I know o’ the matter?

  1829.  Old Song, ‘On the Prigging Lay’ [Vidocq’s Memoirs, iv.].

  1844.  C. SELBY, London by Night, i. 1. By the bye, Shadrack, you must SHELL OUT at once for contingencies.

  d. 1849.  EDGEWORTH, Love and Law, i. 1. Will you be kind enough, sir, TO SHELL OUT for me the price of a daacent horse, fit to mount a man like me?

  1855.  P. T. BARNUM, Autobiography, viii. At the same time motioning to his trembling victim to ‘SHELL OUT.’

  1868.  F. W. ROBINSON, Poor Humanity, II. xviii. The grave shan’t keep me quieter than the fifty suverins which Mr. Hewitt … will SHELL OUT in the morning.

  1892.  HUME NISBET, The Bushranger’s Sweetheart, 75. And after they have SHELLED OUT, what happens?

  1900.  F. E. GRAINGER (‘Headon Hill’), Caged! xiii. Are you prepared to keep on SHELLING OUT over her till kingdom come—if she’s no use to you?

  5.  (old).—A drinking glass.

  See BROWN SHELL.