shell-studded limb

English translation: tree branch set with shells

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

English term or phrase:	shell-studded limb
Selected answer:	tree branch set with shells
Entered by:	updownK

11:44 Mar 7, 2017

English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature

English term or phrase: shell-studded limb

I have suffered wounds in every epoch – wounds from fist and club and rock, from SHELL-STUDDED LIMB and bronze sword, from the mace and the cannon, from arrows and lasguns and the silent smothering of atomic dust, from biological invasions which blacken the tongue and drown the lungs, from the swift gush of flame and the silent working of slow poisons...and more I will not recount!
--quoted from the SF fiction God Emperor of Dune (http://readnovelonline.com/ScienceFiction/God_Emperor_of_Dun...
The speaker, i.e. the God Emperor, was generally listing the wounds arising from kinds of war attacks in history.
I'm not sure whether SHELL-STUDDED LIMB means arms/legs wounded by shells (bullets) or decorated by shells (perhaps sea shells, is there any custom for war in history?). Or anything else?
Thank you!

updownK KudoZ activity Questions: 74 (none open) Answers: 6 China
Local time: 00:59

tree branch set with shells

Explanation:
I imagine the shells are intended to inflict injury with their sharp edges rather than look good.

Far be it from me to criticise Frank Herbert, but I think he should have said tree limbs.

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Note added at 7 mins (2017-03-07 11:51:35 GMT)
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https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/limb

Selected response from:

philgoddard
United States

Grading comment

Thank you! Solved my problem.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

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tree branch set with shells

philgoddard

Answers

6 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +5

tree branch set with shells

philgoddard
United States
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 50

Grading comment

Thank you! Solved my problem.

Notes to answerer

Asker: That's make sense! I found a pic (https://i1.kknews.cc/large/7d30005c8f7ca2e5936) in which the weapon is like a shell hammer. I wonder if there is a kind of shell mace.

Asker: And another one used by Maoris: http://inews.gtimg.com/newsapp_match/0/202940595/0

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shell-studded limb

English translation: tree branch set with shells

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