Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The shell of a cockle.
- noun A shell similar to that of a cockle.
- noun Nautical A small light boat.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The shell of the cockle, especially the common cockle, Cardium edule. See cut under
cockle . - noun A representation of a cockle, serving, instead of the shell itself, as the badge and attribute of a pilgrim: in heraldry, same as
scallop . - noun A cockboat.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun One of the shells or valves of a cockle.
- noun A light boat.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The
shell of acockle (or similar shell) - noun A small,
flimsy boat
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a small light flimsy boat
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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There is a moment when the kitten pounces on the unsuspecting dragonfly, when the lost cockleshell is found and the little girl in a yellow bathing suit drains the seawater back into the sea … the noose comes tight against his throat.
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The only other items in the grave were bay and willow leaves and a single pierced cockleshell.
Worcester Pilgrim 2008
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As she was in the habit of obeying his commands very literally, and as a few hours after he left Lisbon a little cockleshell of a steamer came in, she embarked in this most unseaworthy boat the afternoon of the same day, though she had no proper accommodation for passengers.
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A high sea ran, and the light boat dived, and soared, and fell again, dancing like a cockleshell.
Ultima Thule 2003
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Sheer senseless destruction to send in a cockleshell like the JERVIS BAY against the might of a pocket battleship, a folly and a bravado, that amounted to nothing less than madness.
The Lonely Sea MacLean, Alistair, 1922- 1985
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There were three of them astern of us, cockleshell rowing boats, with three soldiers - Germans, I thought - in each, every one life-jacketed and armed to the teeth - as wicked looking a boarding party as I'd seen for a long time.
The Lonely Sea MacLean, Alistair, 1922- 1985
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Those who had dared to pit this cockleshell against the unleashed might of the Vilayet could do naught but cling and wait.
Conan The Unconquered Jordan, Robert, 1948- 1983
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Those who had dared to pit this cockleshell against the unleashed might of the Vilayet could do naught but cling and wait.
Conan The Unconquered Jordan, Robert, 1948- 1983
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And in the morning there was a cockleshell of a boat oared in by one of the men who had found it downriver.
Ride Proud, Rebel! Andre Norton 1958
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In our impatience to land, I and my friend left the schooner in a cockleshell of a boat, which upset in the surge, and we found ourselves floundering in the water.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 54, No. 337, November, 1843 Various
hernesheir commented on the word cockleshell
This is a boat term, reesetee...
March 23, 2011