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crawl/go/retreat/retire into your shell

Definition

to become less interested in other people and less willing to talk and take part in social activities: The more they tried to get her to talk about her experiences, the further she retreated back into her shell.Shy and modestAnxious and worried
(Definition of crawl/go/retreat/retire into your shell from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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