[sell one on]{v. phr.} To persuade someone to do something. •/Wewere able to sell our wealthy uncle on the idea of having a joint familyvacation in Hawaii./

[sellout]{n.} 1. A betrayal or act of treason. •/The spy’s behaviorduring the Cold War was a classical sellout./

[sell out]{v.} 1a. To sell all of a certain thing which a store has instock. •/In the store’s January white sale the sheets and pillowcases weresold out in two days./ 1b. To sell all the stock and close the store; go outof business. •/The local hardware store sold out last month and was replacedby a cafe./ 2. {informal} To be unfaithful to your country for money orother reward; be disloyal; sell a secret; accept a bribe./ •/In theRevolutionary War, Benedict Arnold sold out to the British./ •/Thedishonest wrestler sold out to his opponent for a hundred dollars./

[sell short]{v.} To think (a person or thing) less good or valuablethan is true; underestimate. •/Don’t sell the team short; the players arebetter than you think./ •/Some teachers sold John short./

[sell snow to the Eskimos]{v. phr.} To sell something to people whoalready have a large quantity of the same or similar goods. •/My Alaskanfriend said, "One of the hottest businesses in Alaska is refrigeration. Youcould say that I, as a refrigerator expert, am selling snow to the Eskimos."/See: CARRY COALS TO NEWCASTLE.

[send C.O.D.] See: C.O.D.

[send off]{v. phr.} To say good-bye to someone ceremoniously. •/Theysent us off to the Mainland from our first visit to Hawaii with an elaboratechampagne party at the pier./

[send-off]{n. phr.} A demonstration of affection or respect atsomeone’s departure, as a retirement ceremony. •/When our colleague retiredafter 35 years of teaching, we all got together at the Faculty Club and gavehim a terrific send-off./

[send one about one’s business]{v. phr.} To dismiss someone summarily;tell one off. •/When Mrs. Atwater discovered that her daughter’s French tutorwas an ordinary fortune hunter, she sent him about his business./ Compare:SEND ONE PACKING.

[send one packing]{v. phr.} To fire someone summarily. •/When theboss caught Smith stealing from the cash register, he sent him packing./Compare: SEND ONE ABOUT ONE’S BUSINESS.

[send to the minors]{v. phr.} To dismiss someone; tell them off;terminate a relationship. — A baseball term. •/"What did you do to yourgirlfriend?" Ernie asked Bert, when Bert started dating Jane. "I sent her tothe minors," Bert answered with a sneer./

[send up]{v. phr.}, {colloquial} To sentence (someone) to prison.•/Did you know that Milton Shaeffer was sent up for fifteen years?/

[send word]{v. phr.} To send notification to; advise. •/When hisfather fell seriously ill, we sent word to Mike to come home as quickly aspossible./

[senior citizen]{n.} An older person, often one who has retired fromactive work or employment. •/Mrs. North, the history teacher, is a seniorcitizen./

[sense] See: COME TO ONE’S SENSES, HORSE SENSE, MAKE SENSE, OUT OF ONE’SHEAD or OUT OF ONE’S SENSES.

[separate the men from the boys]{v. phr.}, {informal} To show whohas strength, courage and loyalty and find who do not. •/When the ship hit aniceberg and sank, it separated the men from the boys./ •/The mile runseparates the men from the boys./

[separate the sheep from the goats] See SEPARATE THE MEN FROM THE BOYS.

[serve] See: FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED.

[serve a sentence]{v. phr.} To be in jail. •/Charlie served fouryears of an eight-year sentence, after which he was paroled and released./

[serve notice]{v. phr.} 1. To notify one’s employer in a formal orlegal manner that one is quitting the former’s employment. •/She gave noticeto her boss that she was quitting because of marriage./ 2. To notify anemployee or a tenant that one no longer needs their services or wishes to havethem as tenants. •/The new landlady gave notice to several families in ourbuilding because they were late in paying their rent./

[serve one right]{v. phr.} To be what (someone) really deserves as apunishment; be a fair exchange for what (someone) has done or said or failed todo or say. •/He failed his exam; it served him right because he had notstudied./ •/Bob said it served Sally right when she cut her finger; she hadtaken his knife without asking him./ Compare: ASK FOR, HAVE IT COMING.

[serve time] See: SERVE A SENTENCE.

[serve up]{v.} To prepare and serve (as a food). •/Father caught atrout and Mother served it up at dinner./

[service] See: AT ONE’S SERVICE, CURB SERVICE, LIP SERVICE, OF SERVICE,ROOM SERVICE.

[session] See: BULL SESSION.

[set] See: GET SET.

[set ablaze]{v. phr.} To cause to burn by lighting with a match orother incendiary device. •/The criminals poured gasoline on the house and setit ablaze with a small lighter./

[set about]{v.} To begin; start. •/Benjamin Franklin set aboutteaming the printer’s trade at an early age./ •/After breakfast, Mother setabout her household duties./

[set afire] or [set on fire] See: SET ABLAZE.

[set aside]{v.} 1. To separate from the others in a group orcollection. •/She set aside the things in the old trunk which she wanted tokeep./ 2. To select or choose from others for some purpose. •/The governorset aside a day for thanksgiving./ 3. To pay no attention to (something);leave out. •/The complaint was set aside as of no importance./ 4.{formal} To refuse to accept; annul; cancel as worthless or wrong. •/TheSupreme Court set aside the decision of the lower courts./

[setback]{n.} A disadvantage; a delay. •/We suffered a major setbackwhen my wife lost her job./

[set back]{v.} 1. To cause to put off or get behind schedule; slow up;check. •/The cold weather set back the planting by two weeks./ 2.{informal} To cause to pay out or to lose (a sum of money); cost. •/Hisnew car set him back over $3000./

[set back on one’s heels] or [knock back on one’s heels] {v. phr.},{informal} To give an unpleasant surprise; upset suddenly; stop or turnback (someone’s) progress. •/Jack brags too much and it set him back on hisheels when the coach told him he wasn’t as good a player as he thought hewas./ •/Jean was doing very well in school until sickness knocked her backon her heels./ Compare: KNOCK FOR A LOOP, THROW FOR A LOSS.

[set down]{v.} 1. To write; record. •/He set down all his importantthoughts in his dairy./ •/At the beginning of his letter Dan set down thedate./ Syn.: PUT DOWN. 2. To stop a bus or other vehicle and let (someone)get off. •/The bus driver set her down at the corner./ 3. To put into somegroup; classify; consider. •/When he heard the man speak, he set him down asa fool./ 4. To explain; think a reason for. •/The teacher set down theboy’s poor English to his foreign birth./

[set eyes on] See: LAY EYES ON.

[set fire to]{v. phr.} To cause to burn; start a fire in. •/Thesparks set fire to the oily rags./ Compare: CATCH FIRE.

[set foot]{v. phr.} To step; walk; go. — Used with a negative.•/She would not let him set foot across her threshold./ •/She told theboy not to set foot out of the house until he had finished supper./