Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A hard-shell clam or hard-shell crab.
  • adjective Having a thick, heavy, or hardened shell.
  • adjective Uncompromising; confirmed.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In zoology, having a hard Shell.
  • Rigidly and narrowly orthodox; conservative; uncompromising.
  • noun A hard-shelled crab or clam.
  • noun See Hard, n., 5 .

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Colloq., U.S. Unyielding; insensible to argument; uncompromising; strict.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Having a rigid shell
  • adjective Refusing to compromise; confirmed or deep-rooted

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Sis Belle was what was called a hard-shell Baptist, loyal to the death and disdainful of rivals.

    CLEAR PICTURES REYNOLDS PRICE 1988

  • Sis Belle was what was called a hard-shell Baptist, loyal to the death and disdainful of rivals.

    CLEAR PICTURES REYNOLDS PRICE 1988

  • He visits a Taco Bell about once a month, ordering steak burritos and hard-shell ground-beef tacos.

    Taco Bell Makes Spicy Retort to Suit Julie Jargon 2011

  • We talk about Tex-Mex food but the more I think about it, it is actually Cal-Mex cuisine, from crumbly hard-shell tacos to velvety-rich guacamole to the eye-opening margarita, that has shaped our preferences for south-of-the-border fare.

    Jay Weston: El Cholo -- Delicious Mexican Food for Cinco de Mayo Jay Weston 2011

  • They can be had for less than $100, including a few molded, hard-shell plastic models.

    What to Get a Golfer for the Holidays John Paul Newport 2011

  • Nikki Heat (instead of Kate Beckett) is the attractive, hard-shell cop he works with.

    Heat Wave by Richard Castle » DVDs Worth Watching 2010

  • We talk about Tex-Mex food but the more I think about it, it is actually Cal-Mex cuisine, from crumbly hard-shell tacos to velvety-rich guacamole to the eye-opening margarita, that has shaped our preferences for south-of-the-border fare.

    Jay Weston: El Cholo -- Delicious Mexican Food for Cinco de Mayo Jay Weston 2011

  • Video demonstration guru KipKay details how to make backyard lanterns from hard-shell gourds.

    DIY Backyard Gourd Lanterns | Lifehacker Australia 2010

  • Many of the people who are in the forefront of the effort to promote marriage equality are members of the clergy in a lot of religious denominations ranging from mainstream Protestant to hard-shell Roman Catholic.

    Faith Losing 2009

  • Addressing the recent survey made among professional racers, UCI technical advisor Jean Wauthier reminded the people at the January 7 meeting about what riders thought before hard-shell helmets were made mandatory a decade ago.

    The battle over two-way radios about to explode 2011

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