Weirdly, I read this whole thread and assumed people were referring to shell in the form of an empty sea shell, representing an analogy to remnants of a now-dea

Weirdly, I read this whole thread and assumed people were referring to shell in the form of an empty sea shell, representing an analogy to remnants of a now-dead life form. Which is what crude oil pretty much is. I didn't even think "shell corporation" until I read your comment.