sell

sell like hotcakes [for something] to be

sold very fast. The delicious candy sold

like hotcakes. The fancy new cars were

selling like hotcakes.

sell someone a bill of goods to get some-

one to believe something that isn’t true;

to deceive someone. (Informal.) Don’t

pay any attention to what John says. He’s

just trying to sell you a bill of goods. I’m

not selling you a bill of goods. What I say

is true.

sell someone down the river Go to sell

(someone or something) out.

sell someone on a plan or idea to convince

someone of something. (Informal.)

You don’t have to sell me on the value of

an education. Try to sell John on going

to Mexico for a vacation.

sell (someone or something) out 1. [with some-

one] and sell someone down the river

to betray someone; to reveal damaging

information about someone. (Slang, es-

pecially criminal slang.) Bill told every-

thing he knew about Bob, and that sold

Bob down the river. You’ll be sorry if you

sell me out. T Lefty sold out, and we’ll all

soon be arrested. 2. [with something] to

sell all of something. You’ve sold them

all out? T We sold out all our red ones

yesterday.

sell someone or something short to underesti-

mate someone or something; to fail to see

the good qualities of someone or some-

thing. This is a very good restaurant.

Don’t sell it short. When you say that

John isn’t interested in music, you’re sell-

ing him short. Did you know he plays the

violin quite well?

song.) I had to sell my car for a song

because I needed the money in a hurry.

I have two geometry books and I would sell

one of them for a song.

sell something off to sell much or all of

something. Please try to sell these items

off. We have too many of them. T I sold

off all my books.

sell something on credit to sell something

now and let the purchaser pay for it later.

(Compare this with buy something on

credit.) I’m sorry, we don’t sell groceries

on credit. It’s strictly cash-and-carry.

There is a shop around the corner that sells

clothing on credit.

send one about one’s business to send

someone away, usually in an unfriendly

way. Is that annoying man on the tele-

phone again? Please send him about his

business. Ann, I can’t clean up the house

with you running around. I’m going to

have to send you about your business.

send someone into something to cause some-

one to be in a certain state or condition.

The horrifying news sent our family into

hysterics. The clerk’s rude behavior sent

the customer into a fit of anger.

send someone off to participate in saying

good-bye to someone who is leaving.

We had a party to send Tom off on his va-

cation. Bob’s parents sent him off from

the airport.

send someone or something up to ridicule or

make fun of someone or something; to

satirize someone or something. (Infor-

mal.) John is always sending Jane up by

mocking the way she walks. The drama

group sent their leaders up.

send someone (out) on an errand to send

someone out to do a specific task.

Mother sent Billy out on an errand. I’m

late because Bill sent me on an errand.

send someone packing to send someone

away; to dismiss someone, possibly

rudely. I couldn’t stand him anymore,

so I sent him packing. The maid proved

to be so incompetent that I had to send her

packing.

send someone to the showers to send a

player out of the game and off the field,

court, etc. (From sports.) John played

so badly that the coach sent him to the

showers after the third quarter. After the

fistfight, the coaches sent both players to

the showers.

send someone up the river to send some-

one to prison. (Slang.) The judge sent

Bill up the river for ten years. The same

judge sent him up the river the last time.

send something C.O.D. to send merchandise

to someone who will pay for it when it

is delivered. (C.O.D. means “cash on de-

livery” or “collect on delivery.”) I sent

away for a special book and asked them to

send it C.O.D. This person has ordered

a copy of our record. Send the record

C.O.D.

send up a trial balloon to suggest some-

thing and see how people respond to it;

to test public opinion. (Slang.) Mary

had an excellent idea, but when we sent up

a trial balloon, the response was very neg-

ative. Don’t start the whole project with-

out sending up a trial balloon.

separate but equal segregated but of

equal value or quality. (A doctrine once

sanctioned by the U.S. Supreme Court re-

garding racial segregation.) The sepa-

rate but equal doctrine was abandoned

years ago. They were provided with fa-

cilities that were said to be separate but

equal—but were really of a lower

standard.

separate the men from the boys to sep-

arate the competent from those who are

less competent. This is the kind of task

that separates the men from the boys.

This project requires a lot of thinking. It’ll

separate the men from the boys.

separate the sheep from the goats to di-

vide people into two groups. Working

in a place like this really separates the

sheep from the goats. We can’t go on

with the game until we separate the sheep

from the goats. Let’s see who can jump the

farthest.

the separation of church and state the

constitutional barrier that prevents gov-

ernment from establishing a state reli-

gion. (This refers to eliminating evidence

of religion in connection with govern-

ment as well as assuring that the U.S.

government does not establish a state re-

ligion.) The city council stopped begin-

ning each meeting with a prayer because

someone suggested that it violated the

principle of the separation of church and

state. Many countries do not have the

separation of church and state.

serve as a guinea pig [for someone] to be

experimented on; to allow some sort of

test to be performed on someone. (A

guinea pig was once the quintessential

experimental animal.) Try it on some-

one else! I don’t want to serve as a guinea

pig! Jane agreed to serve as a guinea pig.

She’ll be the one to try out the new f lavor

of ice cream.

serve notice (on someone) to announce

(something) to someone. John served

notice on his fellow workers that he would

not prepare the coffee anymore.  I’m

serving notice that I’ll resign as secretary

next month.

serve someone right [for an act or event] to

punish someone fairly [for doing some-

thing]. John copied off my test paper.

It would serve him right if he fails the test.

It’d serve John right if he got arrested.

serve someone’s purpose Go to answer

someone’s purpose.

serve time to spend a certain amount of

time imprisoned. The criminal served

ten years in jail. After the felon served

his time, he was released from prison.

set a trap to adjust and prepare a trap to

catch an animal. Bill set a mousetrap

and baited it with cheese. The old man

set a trap to catch an annoying squirrel.

set eyes on someone or something and lay

eyes on someone or something to see some-

one or something for the first time.

knew when I set eyes on that car that it was

the car for me. Have you ever laid eyes

on such a beautiful f lower?

set fire to someone or something and set some-

one or something on fire to ignite someone

or something; to put someone or some-

thing to flames. The thief set fire to the

building. The poor man accidentally set

himself on fire.

set foot somewhere to go or enter some-

where. (Often in the negative.) If I

were you, I wouldn’t set foot in that town.

I wouldn’t set foot in her house! Not af-

ter the way she spoke to me.

set forth (on something) and launch forth

(on something) 1. to start out on some-

thing. (See also take off (on something).)

We intend to set forth on our journey very

early in the morning. What time will

you launch forth? 2. to begin presenting

a speech or an explanation. As soon as

John set forth on his speech, three people

walked out.  Every time he launches

forth, somebody walks out.

set great store by someone or something to

have positive expectations for someone

or something; to have high hopes for

someone or something. I set great store

by my computer and its ability to help me

in my work. We set great store by John

because of his quick mind.

set in [for a kind of weather, especially

winter] to begin. (Often said of weather

or climatic conditions.) Winter set in

very early this year. We got the windows

painted before winter set in.

set one back on one’s heels to surprise,

shock, or overwhelm someone.

sudden announcement set us all back on

our heels. The manager scolded me, and

that really set me back on my heels.

set one’s heart on something to become de-

termined about something. Jane set her

heart on going to London. Todd had set

his heart on returning.

set one’s sights on something to select some-

thing as one’s goal. I set my sights on a

master’s degree from the state university.

Don’t set your sights on something you

cannot possibly do.

set sail (for somewhere) to depart in a boat

for somewhere. (In a sailboat or power-

boat.) This ship sets sail for Japan in two

days. When do you set sail?

set someone back (some amount of money) to

cost someone (an amount of money).

(Informal.) This coat set me back about

$250. That dinner at the restaurant last

night really set us back.

set someone or something free to release

someone or something; to allow someone

or something to leave, go away, depart,

escape. Jimmy went outside and set his

balloon free. The army set the political

prisoners free.

set someone or something off 1. [with some-

one] to get someone very excited and an-

gry. Whenever I see someone mistreat-

ing an animal, it really sets me off. T The

tax bill set off Bob. He raved for an hour!

2. [with something] to start something.

Don’t set another discussion off, please!

T The question of taxes set off an

argument.

set someone or something on fire Go to set fire

to someone or something.

set someone or something straight 1. [with

someone] to explain (something) to

someone. (See also put something straight.)

I don’t think you understand about

taxation. Let me set you straight. Ann

was confused, so I set her straight. 2. [with

something] to explain something (to

someone). (See also put something

straight.) This is very confusing, but

with a little explaining I can set it straight.

We’ll set this matter straight in a short

time.

set someone’s teeth on edge 1. [for a sour

or bitter taste] to irritate one’s mouth and

make it feel funny. Have you ever eaten

a whole lemon? It’ll set your teeth on edge.

I can’t stand food that sets my teeth on

edge. 2. [for a person or a noise] to be

irritating or get on one’s nerves. Please

don’t scrape your fingernails on the black-

board! It sets my teeth on edge! Here

comes Bob. He’s so annoying. He really sets

my teeth on edge.

set someone up (as something) to establish

someone as something. (Compare this

with set someone up (in business).) Bill

set himself up as boss. When Mary got

her degree, she set herself up as a consul-

tant. T My father set up my sisters as co-

owners of the family business. He set

them up with the help of a lawyer.

set someone up (in business) to help es-

tablish someone in business; to provide

the money someone needs to start a busi-

ness. My father set my sisters up in busi-

ness. He helped set them up so he could

keep the business in the family.

set something down to something Go to put

something down to something.

set something right and put something right

to correct something; to alter a situation

to make it more fair. (See also make some-

thing good.) This is a very unfortunate

situation. I’ll ask the people responsible to

set this matter right. I’m sorry that we

overcharged you. We’ll try to put it right.

set something straight Go to put something straight

set something to music to incorporate words

into a piece of music; to write a piece of

music to incorporate a set of words.

The musician set my lyrics to music. The

rock band set the poem to music.

set the ball rolling Go to get the ball

rolling.

set the stage for something to prepare for

something; to get all of the appropriate

things in place for something. (Refers to

arranging the scenery, properties, and

lighting for a theater production.) The

events of the past week have set the stage

for further negotiation with the other side.

Your comments set the stage for the next

step—which is the hard one.

set the table to place plates, glasses, nap-

kins, etc., on the table before a meal.

(The opposite of clear the table.) Jane,

would you please set the table? I’m tired

of setting the table. Ask someone else to do

it.

set the world on fire to do exciting things

that bring fame and glory. I’m not very

ambitious. I don’t want to set the world

on fire. You don’t have to set the world

on fire. Just do a good job.

set to do something Go to (all) set to do some-

thing.

set type to arrange type for printing, now

usually on a computer. Have you fin-

ished setting the type for page one yet?

John sets type for a living.

set upon someone or something to attack

someone or something violently. The

dogs set upon the bear and chased it up a

tree. Bill set upon Tom and struck him

hard in the face.

settle a score with someone and settle the

score (with someone) to clear up a prob-

lem with someone; to get even with

someone. (Slang. See also have a score

to settle (with someone).) John wants to

settle a score with his neighbor. Tom, it’s

time you and I settled the score.

settle down 1. to calm down. Now, chil-

dren, it’s time to settle down and start

class. If you don’t settle down, I’ll send

you all home. 2. to settle into a stable way

of life; to get married and settle into a

stable way of life. Tom, don’t you think

it’s about time you settled down and

stopped all of this running around? Bill

and Ann decided to settle down and raise

some children.

settle for something to agree to accept some-

thing (even though something else would

be better). We wanted a red one, but

settled for a blue one. Ask your grocer

for Wilson’s canned corn—the best corn in

cans. Don’t settle for less!

settle on something to decide on something.

We’ve discussed the merits of all of

them, and we’ve settled on this one. I

can’t settle on one or the other, so I’ll buy

both.

settle (something) (out of court) to end a

disagreement and reach an agreement

without having to go through a court of

justice. The plaintiff and defendant de-

cided to settle before the trial. Mary and

Sue settled out of court before the trial.

settle the score (with someone) Go to set-

tle a score with someone.

settle up with someone to pay someone

what one owes; to pay someone one’s

share of something. I must settle up

with Jim for the bike I bought for him.

Fred paid the whole restaurant bill and we

all settled up with him later.

sever ties with someone to end a relation-

ship or agreement suddenly. The com-

pany severed its ties with the dishonest em-

ployee. John has severed all ties with his

parents.

sew something up to complete something; to

secure something. (Also literal. Infor-

mal.) The manager told me to sew the

contract up, or else. T Let’s sew up this

contract today.

shack up (with someone) 1. to have a one-

night stand with someone; to copulate

(with someone). (Informal.) Those two

just wanted to shack up for a while. He

only wanted to shack up with me. 2. to

move in with someone temporarily, pre-

sumably for sexual purposes. (Informal.)

They shacked up for over a year until

her parents found out and stopped sending

her money.

shades of someone or something reminders of

someone or something; reminiscent of

someone or something. When I met

Jim’s mother, I thought “shades of Aunt

Mary.” “Shades of grade school,” said

Jack as the university lecturer rebuked him

for being late.

shadow of itself Go to shadow of oneself.

shadow of oneself and shadow of itself

someone or something that is not as

strong, healthy, full, or lively as before.

The sick man was a shadow of his former

self. The redecorated house was merely

a shadow of its old self.

shake (hands) on something to clasp and

shake the hand of someone as a sign of

agreement about something. The two

people didn’t sign a contract; they just

shook hands on the terms of the agree-

ment. I think it would be better to sign

an agreement than shake on it.

shake hands (with someone) to clasp and

shake the hand of someone as a greeting.

His hands were full, and I didn’t know

whether to try to shake hands with him or

not. He put down his packages, and we

shook hands.

shake in one’s boots and quake in one’s

boots to be afraid; to shake from fear.

I was shaking in my boots because I had

to go see the manager. Stop quaking in

your boots, Bob. I’m not going to fire you.

shake someone or something down 1. [with

someone] to extort money from someone;

to blackmail someone. (Slang, especially

criminal slang.) The gang of criminals

made a living from shaking people down.

T Lefty was trying to shake down the

storekeeper. 2. [with something] to try

something out; to test something and give

the flaws a chance to appear. (Informal.)

We took the new car out for a trip to

shake it down. T You need to shake down

a complicated piece of machinery when

you first get it. Then any problems will

show up while the guarantee is still in

effect.

shake someone or something off 1. [with

someone] to get rid of someone; to get

free of someone who is bothering you.

(Slang.) Stop bothering me! What do I

have to do to shake you off ? T I wish I

could shake off John. He’s such a pest! 2.

[with something] to avoid getting a dis-

ease, such as a cold; to fight something

off. (Informal.) I thought I was catch-

ing a cold, but I guess I shook it off. T I

hope I can shake off this cold pretty soon.

shake someone or something up 1. [with some-

one] to shock or upset someone. (Slang.

See also shook up.) The sight of the in-

jured man shook me up. T Your rude re-

mark really shook up Tom. 2. to jostle or

knock someone or something around; to

toss someone or something back and

forth. We rode over a rough road, and

that shook us up. T The accident shook up

John quite a bit. 3. to reorganize some-

thing or a group of people. The new

manager shook the office up and made

things run a lot better. T The coach shook

the team up before the last game and made

them better organized.

shake something off Go to toss something off.

shake the lead out Go to get the lead out.

Shame on someone. What a shameful thing

someone has done! You’ve torn your

shirt again, Billy! Shame on you! When

Billy tore his shirt, his mother said,

“Shame on you!”

shape someone up to get someone into good

physical shape; to make someone behave

or perform better. (See also shape up.)

I’ve got to shape myself up to improve my

health. T The trainer was told that he’d

have to shape up the boxer before the fight.

shape up to improve one’s behavior or per-

formance; to improve one’s physical

shape. Look at this, John! What a poor

job you’ve done! It’s time you shaped up!

If I’m going to run in the marathon, I’m

going to have to shape up.

Shape up or ship out. Either improve

one’s performance (or behavior) or leave.

Okay, Tom. That’s the end. Shape up or

ship out! John was late again, so I told

him to shape up or ship out.

share and share alike with equal shares.

I kept five and gave the other five to

Mary—share and share alike. The two

roommates agreed that they would divide

expenses—share and share alike.

share someone’s pain to understand and

sympathize with someone’s pain or emo-

tional discomfort. (Said in order to sound

sympathetic.) I am sorry about the loss

of your home. I share your pain. We

sympathize about the loss of your mother.

We share your pain.

share someone’s sorrow to grieve as some-

one else grieves. We all share your sor-

row on this sad, sad day. I am sorry to

hear about the death in your family. I share

your sorrow.

sharp as a razor Go to (as) sharp as a

razor.

sharp as a tack Go to (as) sharp as a tack.

shed crocodile tears and cry crocodile

tears to shed false tears; to pretend that

one is weeping. The child wasn’t hurt,

but she shed crocodile tears anyway. He

thought he could get his way if he cried

crocodile tears.

shed (some) light on something and throw

(some) light on something to reveal some-

thing about something; to clarify some-

thing. (Also with any.) This discussion

has shed some light on the problem. Let’s

see if Ann can throw any light on this

question.

shell something out to pay money (out).

(Slang.) You’ll have to shell plenty out

to settle this bill. T The traffic ticket

turned out to be very expensive. I had to

shell out $150.

shift for oneself and fend for oneself to get

along by oneself; to support oneself.

I’m sorry, I can’t pay your rent anymore.

You’ll just have to shift for yourself.

When I became twenty years old, I left

home and began to fend for myself.

shine up to someone to try to gain some-

one’s favor by being extra nice. John is

a nice guy, except that he’s always trying to

shine up to the professor. Mary never

tries to shine up to the manager.