hard shells
Tough outer coverings
Hard shells are the rigid outer coverings of certain animals—crustaceans, mollusks, turtles, and some insects.
The term extends to any tough protective casing: hard-shell luggage, hard-shell bike helmets.
Figuratively, a hard shell describes emotional defensiveness: He's developed a hard shell after years of criticism.
In American politics, hard-shells were rigid partisans who refused compromise, especially applied to factions of 19th-century Democrats.
- crustaceansExoskeleton-bearing aquatic arthropods
- exoskeletonExternal skeletal structure
- hermit crabCrustacean occupying abandoned shells
- armorProtective combat covering
- body armorProtective garment stopping bullets
crab · lobster · turtle · clam · oyster · mussel · carapace · chitin · calcium carbonate · protective · brittle · cracking · tough nut · nuts · walnuts · beetle · snail · conch