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Phrase(s): *a shellacking
1. Fig. a physical beating. (*Typically: get ~; take ~; give someone ~.) • The boxer took a shellacking and lost the fight. • I got a shellacking when I broke the window. 2. Fig. a beating—as in sports. (*Typically: get ~; take ~; give someone ~.) • Our team played well, but got a shellacking anyway. • I practiced my tennis game so I wouldn’t take a shellacking in the tournament.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs