- Home
- Idioms
- sold
sold
sell (one's) birthright for a mess of pottage
To exchange something of great, important, or fundamental value for some financial gain that proves to be of little, trivial, or no value but which appears to be attractive or valuable on first reckoning. An allusion to Esau in Genesis 25:29–32, who sells to Jacob his birthright to his family's estate for a bowl of lentil stew (pottage). If we allow our obsession with job creation to undermine the health of the environment, humanity will ultimately end up selling its birthright for a mess of pottage.
sell (one's) birthright for a bowl of soup
To exchange something of great, important, or fundamental value for some financial gain that proves to be of little, trivial, or no value but which appears to be attractive or valuable on first reckoning. (A variant of "sell one's birthright for a mess of pottage," an allusion to Esau in Genesis 25:29–32, who sells to Jacob his birthright to his family's estate for a bowl of lentil stew (pottage).) If we allow our obsession with job creation to undermine the health of the environment, humanity will ultimately end up selling its birthright for a bowl of soup.
sell (one's) body
To have sexual intercourse or perform sexual acts for money; to prostitute oneself. Things had become so desperate for Jacob that he even considered selling his body just to earn enough to eat each day.
sell woof tickets
To threaten or try to intimidate someone with threats of violence or menacing, boastful words. There's this guy in the bar, drunk off his head, going around selling woof tickets to anyone who'll listen. He's going to get himself knocked out if he's not careful. If he tries to sell you woof tickets, don't rise to it—I know for a fact that he carries a knife and would be all too happy to put it to use.
sell wolf tickets
To threaten or try to intimidate someone with threats of violence or menacing, boastful words. There's this guy in the bar, drunk off his head, going around selling wolf tickets to anyone who'll listen. He's going to get himself knocked out if he's not careful. If he tries to sell you wolf tickets, don't rise to it—I know for a fact that he carries a knife and would be all too happy to put it to use.
sell a wolf ticket
To threaten or try to intimidate someone with threats of violence or menacing, boastful words. There's this guy in the bar, drunk off his head, going around selling a wolf ticket to anyone who'll listen. He's going to get himself knocked out if he's not careful. If he tries to sell you a wolf ticket, don't rise to it—I know for a fact that he carries a knife and would be all too happy to put it to use.
sell out (to someone)
1. to sell everything, such as all one's property or one's company, to someone. The farmer finally gave up and sold out to a large corporation. I refuse to sell out no matter what they offer me.
2. to betray someone or something to someone. I think that you have sold out to the enemy!
sell out (to someone)
1. to sell everything, such as all one's property or one's company, to someone. The farmer finally gave up and sold out to a large corporation. I refuse to sell out no matter what they offer me.
2. to betray someone or something to someone. I think that you have sold out to the enemy!
sell someone out
and sell someone down the riverto betray someone; to reveal damaging information about someone. Bill told everything he knew about Bob, and that sold Bob down the river. You'll be sorry if you sell me out. Lefty sold out his friends, and we'll all soon be arrested.
sell something out
to sell all of something. Have they sold their supply out yet? The stores sold out their stocks of that game long before Christmas.
sold on someone or something
convinced of the value of someone or something. I'm not yet sold on your idea. The crowd was sold on Gary. Nothing he had done or could do would cool their enthusiasm.
sold out
[of a product] completely sold with no more items remaining; [of a store] having no more of a particular product. The tickets were sold out so we couldn't go to the concert. I wanted new shoes like yours, but they were sold out.
sell out
to accept money to stop following your principles So many musicians simply sell out to the demands of the industry and abandon their art.
sell out somebody/something
also sell somebody/something out to stop being loyal to someone or something
He accused Congress of selling out the American people to lawyers who opposed the bill. I could sell you all out and go straight to the police with this information. Usage notes: often money is the advantage that is gotten: Anyone who would sell out his own country for money deserves to go to prison for life.
Related vocabulary:
sell somebody down the river sell out (of something)
to sell all of something, so that there is none left We sold out of the souvenir T-shirts in the first couple of hours. During the summer the campgrounds are sold out each night. Her cruises regularly book up months in advance and almost always sell out.
be sold a pup
(British informal) to be tricked into buying something that is not worth anything I'm afraid you've been sold a pup there. You should always get an expert to look over a second-hand car before you buy it.
sell out
1. Dispose of entirely by selling. For example, The rancher finally sold out to the oil company, or The tickets to the concert were sold out a month ago. [Late 1700s]
2. Betray one's cause or colleagues, as in He sold out to the other side. [Slang; late 1800s]
sell someone on
Convince or persuade someone of the worth or desirability of something, as in They were hoping to sell enough legislators on their bill so that it would pass easily, or Dave was really sold on that new car. [Colloquial; early 1900s]
sell out
v.1. To be sold completely: The tickets will sell out by tomorrow.
2. To sell one's entire supply of a particular item: I'm afraid we sold out all our ice cream, kids! The hardware store sold out of plywood as the hurricane moved closer to shore.
3. To cause some supply of merchandise to be sold completely. Used in the passive: We can't get into the theater because the tickets are sold out.
4. To cause some vendor to sell its entire supply of something. Used in the passive: I wanted to buy more spoons, but the store was sold out.
5. To sell one's entire stake in a business or venture: The owners of the liquor store plan to sell out as soon as they can find a buyer.
6. To betray one's cause or colleagues, especially for money: The disloyal baseball player sold out to another team.
7. To betray someone or something, especially for money: The manager sold out his staff in order to keep his own job. Our agent sold us out when she moved to a better company and dropped us as a client.
sell woof tickets
verbsold cober
(ˈsold ˈkobɚ) mod. sober. (A deliberate spoonerism on cold sober. Similar to jober as a sudge.) What do you mean drunk? Why, I’m sold cober.
sold on someone or something
mod. convinced of the value of someone or something. The crowd was sold on Gary. Nothing he had done or could do would cool their enthusiasm.
Common Names:
| Name | Gender | Pronounced | Usage |
|---|
| Nadia (2) | | - | Arabic |
| Piran | | - | Cornish |
| Vilfredo | | - | Italian |
| Ippolito | | - | Italian |
| Andrea (2) | | AN-dree-ə (English), an-DRAY-ə (English), ahn-DRE-ah (German) | English, German, Spanish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Dutch, Cr |
| Afia | | - | Western African, Akan |