'self-styled adj [A] usually derog given the stated title by oneself, usually without any right to it: The self-styled saviour of his people is in fact a dictator.
'self-sufficient adj [(in)] able to provide what one needs without outside help, especially (of a country) without buying goods and services from abroad: Britain is now self-sufficient in oil. —ciency n [U]
,self-sup'porting adj earning enough money to pay its/one's costs without getting into debt or needing money from outside: We're hoping that this business will become self-supporting in one or two years.
,self-'will n [U] strong unreasonable determination to follow one's own wishes, especially in opposition to others —willed adj
self-wind·ing /,self 'wandm/ adj (of a wristwatch) winding itself as a result of the natural movement of the human arm
,self-'worth n [U] the feeling that you deserve to be liked and respected: Work gave me a sense of dignity and self-worth. → compare SELF-ESTEEM
Se-lig, Al-lan H. (Bud) /'sɪlɪg, 'ælən/ (1934-) the COMMIS-
SIONER (=person in charge of an organization) of baseball in
the US since 1998
sell¹ /sel/ v sold /sauld/ 1 [ɑːtʃ(for, to)] to give or pass (property or goods) to someone else in exchange for money: I'd like to buy your house if you're willing to sell. I'm thinking of selling my car. (fig.) These unprincipled voters are willing to sell their votes. (=vote for whoever will pay or give them most) | [+obj(i)+obj(d)] I sold him the painting/sold the painting to him for £5,000. | The painting was sold to an American buyer. → compare BUY 2 [T] to help or cause (something) to be bought: Bad news sells newspapers. | The famous author's name on the cover is enough to sell the book. 3 [T] to offer (goods) for sale: My job is selling insurance. | Do you sell cigarettes in this shop? 4 [l(at, for)] to be bought; get a buyer or buyers: This magazine sells for/at (=costs) £1.50. | The concert tickets cost too much and sold badly/didn't sell. 5 [T] to gain a sale of; be bought in (the stated quantity): This record has sold over a million copies. 6 [T(to, on)] infml to make (something) acceptable, believable, or desirable to (someone) by persuading: Will they be able to sell their ideas to the voters? | [+obj(i)+obj(d)] Can you sell the boss your plan? | You've sold me on joining the squash league. | I'm completely sold on the idea; I think it's a brilliant suggestion. 7 [T usually pass.] infml rare to trick; cheat; deceive: We've been sold! 8 sell oneself a) to make oneself or one's ideas seem attractive to others: I'm no good at job interviews - I just don't know how to sell myself. b) to give up one's principles in exchange for money or other gain 9 sell one's soul (to the devil) to act dishonourably in exchange for money, power, fame etc 10 sell someone a pup BrE old-fashionful to trick someone into buying something worthless 11 sell someone down the river to put someone in great trouble by being disloyal to them; BETRAY someone 12 sell something/someone short to value something or someone too low: When you say John is inefficient, I think you're selling him short.
sell sthg. ⇔ off phr v [T] to get rid of (goods) by selling, usually cheaply: We're selling off these tins of fruit at reduced prices because they're slightly damaged.
sell out phr v 1 a) [I(of);T(= sell sthg. out) pass.] to sell all of (what was for sale): I'm afraid we have completely sold out (of shirts in your size), sir. | Sorry, the tickets are sold out. | The match was completely sold out. (=there were no tickets left) b) [I] (of something for sale) to be all bought: The shirts were cheap and sold out fast. 2 [I(to)] to sell one's (share in a) business: I was getting too old to run my pub, so I sold out to a large brewery and retired to the country. 3 [I(to, on)] to be disloyal or unfaithful to one's principles or friends, especially for money: He was a good writer, but he sold out and now just writes for money. → see also SELL-OUT
sell (sth. ⇔) up phr v [tT] especially BrE to sell (everything one owns, especially a business): He sold up (his business) and emigrated to Australia.
sell² n [S] BrE infm a deception: These chocolates are hollow in the middle - what a sell! → see also HARD SELL, SOFT SELL
Sel·la·field /'seləfiːld/ a NUCLEAR POWER and NUCLEAR REPROCESSING station in Cumbria, northwest England, formerly called 'Windscale'. Sellafield produces electricity, and also treats waste from nuclear FUEL so that it can be used again. Some people believe that workers at Sellafield and people who live nearby are more at risk of developing CANCER than other people.
sell-by date n BrE 1 the date stamped on a food product, after which it should not be sold; EXPIRATION DATE AmE 2 be past its sell-by-date infml if an idea, method, system etc is past its sell-by date it has become no longer useful or interesting; I think we are trying to apply regulations that passed their sell-by date long ago. 3 be past his/her/its sell-by date BrE infml used about someone who is no longer popular or attractive or no longer able to do their job well: She hasn't realized that she's well past her sell-by date, and she insists on trying to go out with all these young trendy types. | The club is too patient with players who are well past their sell-by date.
Sel·leck, Tom /'selik/ (1945-) a US television and film actor, known especially for appearing in the television programme Magnum P.I. and some films. He is also known for supporting the Republican Party and being a member of the National Rifle Association.
sell·er /'selər/·n 1 a person who sells things → compare BUYER 2 (sometimes in comb.) a product with the stated type or amount of sales: He hopes his new book will be a bigger seller than the last. → see also BEST-SELLER
Sel·lers, Peter /'seləz|-lərz/ (1925–80) a British actor and COMEDIAN who appeared in the British radio programme The GOON SHOW (1951–59), and is known especially for appearing as the humorous character of Inspector Clouseau, a French police officer who keeps making stupid mistakes and causing accidents in films such as The PINK PANTHER (1963) and The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)
,seller's 'market n [S] a state of affairs in which there are not many goods for sale, buyers have little choice, and prices tend to be high → compare BUYER'S MARKET
'selling point n. a fact or quality which can be strongly mentioned in favour of a product in order to persuade people to buy it: The computer's two main selling points are that it's cheap and portable.
'selling price n the price at which something is sold, especially to the final customer or user
Sel·lo·tape, sellotape /'seləteɪp, -ləʊ-/ BrE trademark sticky thin clear material in a long narrow length that is used for sticking things together; SCOTCH TAPE AmE: a roll of sellotape —sellotape v [T]
'sell-out n [C usually sing.] 1 a performance, sports match etc, for which all tickets are sold 2 infml an act of disloyalty or unfaithfulness to one's principles or friends; BETRAYAL → see also SELL OUT
sel·vage, -vedge /'selvɪdʒ/ n the side edges of a piece of cloth that are strengthened to prevent threads from coming out
selves /selvz/ pl. of SELF
se·man·tic /sɪˈmæntɪk/ adj of meaning in language —ally /kli/ adv: 'Purchase' and 'buy' are semantically the same. (=have the same meaning)
se·man·tics /sɪˈmæntɪks/ n [U] the study of the meaning of words and other parts of language
sem·a·phore /'seməfɔːr/ n [U] a system of sending messages using two flags held one in each hand in various positions to represent letters and numbers
sem·blance /'sembləns/ n [S(of)] fml an appearance; outward form or seeming likeness: We had to call in the troops to bring a/some semblance of (=at least some) order to the riot-torn city.
se·men /'si:men/ n [U] a liquid produced by the male sex organs which carries SPERM and is passed into the female during the sexual act
se·mes·ter /səˈmestər/ n either of the two periods into which a year at high schools and universities, especially in the US, is divided → compare TERM
sem-i /'semi/ n pl. semis BrE infml 1 a SEMIDETACHED house 2 infml a SEMIFINAL 3 AmE an articulated (ARTICULATE) lorry
semi-→ see WORD FORMATION TABLE
sem·i·au·to·mat·ic /,semic:tə'mætɪk·/ adj (of a gun) that loads each new bullet by itself but has to have its TRIGGER pulled to fire each shot