especially for monetary gain: That literally was the straw which broke the camel’s back, where they asked me to sell myself to the government. sell someone out to someone—betray a person deceitfully to his adversary: It is revealed that she is just as ruthless as her employer, selling him out to the presidium in order to take over as chairman… sell-out • selling out sell-out—1. mass sale of a commodity: The shortage of shop- ping times for working people causes overcrowding, poor serv- ice and sell-outs on Saturday. 2. a show for which all seats are sold: I have four tickets…. They’re absolutely impossible to get, show is a sell-out , but the agent is a friend of mine. 3. a sacrifice of principles, especially in order to gain an advantage: This meeting was just another sell-out to the management. 4. a person who makes a betrayal of principles: Mr. Mugabe’s guerrillas infiltrated the region murdering those who were con- sidered sell-outs . selling out—1. disposition of the whole of one’s stock, etc. by sale: The selling out of an edition in so short a time was without precedence. 2. = sell-out 3: His best friends were now accusing him of selling out . sell someone down the river • send someone down the river sell someone down the river—(coll.) let a person down; betray smb.: It’s my considered opinion, John, we’ve been sold down the river . send someone down the river—(coll., also: send someone down) send a person to prison: He had overheard Miss Jones threat- ening Mr. Dee “to send him down the river for life.” See also: row someone up Salt River / send someone up the river. sell someone up • upsell someone sell someone up—dispose of the goods of an insolvent person for the benefit of his creditors: He is well behind in his repay- ments to the bank, which is threatening to sell him up . upsell someone—persuade a customer to buy smth. addi- tional or a more expensive product: For customers, it unfor- tunately means that salespeople may try to “upsell ” you on products and services that you don’t really need. sell something off • sell something out sell something off—sell goods cheaply (so as to raise money quickly, etc.): The first “diners” were old Pullman dining cars sold off by railway companies. sell something out—1. sell the whole supply of smth.: Within twenty days the entire stock of radio sets was sold out . 2. (also: sell something up) dispose of one’s business or property (for payment of debt, etc.): The property had to be sold out due to the mere 10 percent return it was getting per year. 3. treach- erously betray smth.: Public interests were sold out for personal and private profit. send off for something • send out for something send off for something—(also: send away for something ) request smth. by post: Have you sent off for the booklist yet? send out for something—order smth. to be delivered to one’s home, etc.: The workmen in the building sent out for some sandwiches. send someone about his business • send someone on business send someone about his business—dismiss a person uncere- moniously: “Well, send him about his business when he bores you, Edna,” instructed her husband as he prepared to leave. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase go about one’s business—attend to one’s own affairs: She never reacted to his verbal abuses in our presence; she went about her business , distant and proud. send someone on business—send a person on a business mis- sion: Once in a while, these companies would send me on business to Singapore, where I would work at their Singapore branch. send someone away • send someone off send someone away—1. make a person leave: I sent him away because I was tired of his idle chatter. 2. dismiss smb. from employment: News spread round that the teacher has been sent away on account of immoral behavior. send someone off—1. start smb. on a journey, etc.: Mother always makes sure the children are sent off with a good break- fast inside them. 2. bid a person farewell; say goodbye: The whole family arrived on the quayside to send him off . 3. (Sport) order a player to leave the field: Now don’t you try arguing with the referee. You’ll only get sent off . 4. make a person fall asleep: Did you know that if you count sheep, it is watching the sheep jump that sends you off ? send someone down • send someone up send someone down—(coll.) 1. dismiss a student from a uni- versity: He escaped prosecution because of his family back- ground but he was sent down from the University. 2. (also: send someone down the river) send a person to prison: The last case was about a plumber who charged a pensioner £2,000 to do a job that other plumbers said was worth £50. They sent him down for two years. send someone up—1. (UK coll.) make fun of a person: Much British humor consists in sending up the customs and leading figures of the country. 2. (also: send someone up the river) = send someone down 2: He did a lot of breaking and entering before the judge sent him up about fifteen years ago. Note: The expression is not related in meaning to the phrase send someone flying—trip or hit a person causing him to fall: I gave him a great, big shove that sent him flying into the pile of wood at the back of the garage. send someone out to grass • send someone to grass send someone out to grass—(coll., also: put someone out to grass) 1. send smb. on a holiday: There were a few strange faces: three or four wives with children sent out to grass from Athens. 2. send a person into retirement: The consultant-in- charge of our clinic has accepted retirement. At three score and ten it is time he was sent out to grass . send someone to grass—(coll.) knock a person down: In the fifth round Billy caught Harry with a solid right and sent him to “grass ” not to rise again. send something by return • send something in return send something by return—send smth. in the next post: You can request your free copy of our catalogue by filling in our request form and we’ll send it by return . send something in return—send smth. in exchange for smth. else: The bills they send out, and the checks customers send in return , account for about 25 percent of the mail stream. senior citizen • senior resident senior citizen —(euph.) an elderly person; an old age pen- sioner: There are no euphemisms in Dutch for being old— no “senior citizen ,” no “golden-ager.” Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase senior man1. a person superior to others in standing: “What if he refuses to go with them?” “They’ll be senior men , they’ll pull rank.” 2. (U.S.) a student in his final year at a uni- versity or high school: Tees Rowing Club, whose senior men’s sell-out – 292 –