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sell out

Date: Oct 03 2002

Quote

1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.

“You know, I sold out so long ago, I wouldn’t know how to sell out now.”
- George Hamilton, movie actor, talking about making TV commercials.

Definition

1. Definition - Study the definition.

do something that’s not true to yourself; do something that you don’t want to do in order to get something; do something you don’t believe in because you want a reward; do something you don’t like doing so you can get money
When describing effort and/or achievement:
give all of your effort to achieve something, do your very best, work as hard as you can to succeed
In the context of a performance, such as a movie, concert, play or sporting event:
sell all the tickets for the performance; fill every seat in the theater or stadium

2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.

As noted above, “sell out” has many different meanings, and can be used differently in many contexts. The most common use of sell out is related to performance. People use sell out to describe successful movies or sporting events all the time. For example, you could say, “The movie last night sold out. There were so many people there. The theater was packed.”
The second most common use of sell out is related to money and betrayal. Money is most often the reason people sell out. For example, if you don’t want to do something, but you do it anyway because you can get money, you’re selling out. You’re betraying yourself because you want money.
It’s also possible to use “sell out” as a noun. You can call a person who is betraying himself a sell out. For example, if someone you know is doing something stupid because he wants money, you could say, “You’re a sell out. You really shouldn’t be doing that.”

Examples

1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.

””Nirvana is one band that never sold out. They were always true to themselves. They didn’t change when they got money and they never did anything they didn’t want to do.”“

””I don’t want to work at my dad’s computer company. I’m not even interested in computers. I hate them! But the money is really good. He’ll pay me a lot. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to sell out, but I really need a job.”“

””You are such a sell out! I can’t believe you’re dating Michael. You said you didn’t like him. Why are you dating him? Is it just because he has a nice car?”“

””The football game this weekend is a sell out. There aren’t any tickets left, so we can’t go.”“

Winners

1. Winners - See who guessed the slang definition correctly.

I think “Sell Out” means we are doing dishonesty for someone and hurt their feeling.
by Endah
“sell out” here could mean that George implies he showed all his talent in making TV commercials.
by Freddie (Shantou, China)
I think “sell out” means to sell completely without any left.
by Salai
I think “sell out” in this example means “betray (a person or cause) for money or other reward; be treacherous or disloyal.” for example, “Bob thought of John as one who had sold out and was no longer to be regarded as a friend.”
by Najib (Abu Dhabi, UAE)
Surely, “Sell Out” is used mostly for any entertainment performances and it means that, for instance, the movie is so good that the entire seats for that movie are going to be sold. It also means “to betray” (someone, or a principle).
by Parviz (Seattle, Washington, USA)