shell (redirected from shelled out)

bring (one) out of one's shell and get one out of one's shell; bring one out; get one out

Fig. to make a person become more open and friendly. (Alludes to a shy turtle being coaxed to put its head out of its shell.) We tried to bring Greg out of his shell, but he is very shy. He's quiet, and it's hard to get him out of his shell.

See also: bring, out

come out of one's shell

Fig. to become more friendly; to be more sociable. (Alludes to a shy turtle putting its head out of its shell.) Come out of your shell, Tom. Go out and make some friends.

See also: come, out

in a nut shell

Fig. [of news or information] in a (figurative) capsule; in summary. This cable channel provides the latest news in a nut shell. In a nut shell, what happened at work today?

See also: nut

shell out (an amount of money)

to spend a certain amount of money. I'm not going to shell out $400 for that! Come on. You owe me. Shell out!

See also: out

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a shell game  (American)

a method of deceiving or cheating someone, by moving things from one place to another in order to hide what you are doing

Usage notes: A shell game is a game in which someone must guess which of three shells a ball or pea (= a small, round, green vegetable) is placed under when they are moved quickly around.

The thieves played a shell game with the police, constantly shifting the stolen goods. He owns many small businesses in different states as part of a shell game to save on taxes.

See also: game

come out of your shell

to become less shy and more friendly Tom used to be very withdrawn but he's really come out of his shell since Susan took an interest in him.

See also: come, out

like shelling peas

If an activity is like shelling peas, it is very easy for you. For Adam, learning to ski was like shelling peas.

See also: like, pea

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shell out something

to pay money The insurance giant estimates that in Texas alone it will have to shell out $85 million to settle these claims. How much does the company expect to shell out for a solution to the problem?

Usage notes: usually said about large amounts of money

See also: out