Definition of "hard-shell" [hard•-shell]

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

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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