[self-seeking] <adj.> Given to egotism and self-aggrandizement. * /Al is the most self-seeking person I've ever met, he is not fun to be around./
[sell down the river] <v. phr.> To give harmful information about someone or something to one's enemies; betray. * /The traitor sold his country down the river to the enemy army./ * /The criminal told the hiding place of his companions and sold them down the river./ Compare: SELL OUT(2).
[sell off] <v. phr.> To liquidate one's holdings of certain set items. * /The retired professor had to sell off his rare butterfly collection to meet his health expenses./
[sell one a bill of goods] <v. phr.> To persuade another to acquire something useless; defraud. * /We were sure sold a bill of goods when Alfred persuaded us to buy his custom-built car for which replacement parts weren't available anywhere./
[sell one on] <v. phr.> To persuade someone to do something. * /We were able to sell our wealthy uncle on the idea of having a joint family vacation in Hawaii./
[sellout] <n.> 1. A betrayal or act of treason. * /The spy's behavior during the Cold War was a classical sellout./
[sell out] <v.> 1a. To sell all of a certain thing which a store has in stock. * /In the store's January white sale the sheets and pillowcases were sold out in two days./ 1b. To sell all the stock and close the store; go out of business. * /The local hardware store sold out last month and was replaced by a cafe./ 2. <informal> To be unfaithful to your country for money or other reward; be disloyal; sell a secret; accept a bribe./ * /In the Revolutionary War, Benedict Arnold sold out to the British./ * /The dishonest wrestler sold out to his opponent for a hundred dollars./
[sell short] <v.> To think (a person or thing) less good or valuable than is true; underestimate. * /Don't sell the team short; the players are better than you think./ * /Some teachers sold John short./
[sell snow to the Eskimos] <v. phr.> To sell something to people who already have a large quantity of the same or similar goods. * /My Alaskan friend said, "One of the hottest businesses in Alaska is refrigeration. You could 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. * /They sent us off to the Mainland from our first visit to Hawaii with an elaborate champagne party at the pier./
[send-off] <n. phr.> A demonstration of affection or respect at someone's departure, as a retirement ceremony. * /When our colleague retired after 35 years of teaching, we all got together at the Faculty Club and gave him 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 tutor was an ordinary fortune hunter, she sent him about his business./ Compare: SEND ONE PACKING.
[send one packing] <v. phr.> To fire someone summarily. * /When the boss 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 your girlfriend?" Ernie asked Bert, when Bert started dating Jane. "I sent her to the 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 his father fell seriously ill, we sent word to Mike to come home as quickly as possible./
[senior citizen] <n.> An older person, often one who has retired from active work or employment. * /Mrs. North, the history teacher, is a senior citizen./
[sense] See: COME TO ONE'S SENSES, HORSE SENSE, MAKE SENSE, OUT OF ONE'S HEAD or OUT OF ONE'S SENSES.
[separate the men from the boys] <v. phr.>, <informal> To show who has strength, courage and loyalty and find who do not. * /When the ship hit an iceberg and sank, it separated the men from the boys./ * /The mile run separates 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 four years 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 or legal manner that one is quitting the former's employment. * /She gave notice to her boss that she was quitting because of marriage./ 2. To notify an employee or a tenant that one no longer needs their services or wishes to have them as tenants. * /The new landlady gave notice to several families in our building because they were late in paying their rent./
[serve one right] <v. phr.> To be what (someone) really deserves as a punishment; be a fair exchange for what (someone) has done or said or failed to do or say. * /He failed his exam; it served him right because he had not studied./ * /Bob said it served Sally right when she cut her finger; she had taken 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 a trout 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 or other incendiary device. * /The criminals poured gasoline on the house and set it ablaze with a small lighter./
[set about] <v.> To begin; start. * /Benjamin Franklin set about teaming the printer's trade at an early age./ * /After breakfast, Mother set about her household duties./
[set afire] or [set on fire] See: SET ABLAZE.
[set aside] <v.> 1. To separate from the others in a group or collection. * /She set aside the things in the old trunk which she wanted to keep./ 2. To select or choose from others for some purpose. * /The governor set 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. * /The Supreme Court set aside the decision of the lower courts./
[setback] <n.> A disadvantage; a delay. * /We suffered a major setback when 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. * /His new 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 turn back (someone's) progress. * /Jack brags too much and it set him back on his heels when the coach told him he wasn't as good a player as he thought he was./ * /Jean was doing very well in school until sickness knocked her back on her heels./ Compare: KNOCK FOR A LOOP, THROW FOR A LOSS.
[set down] <v.> 1. To write; record. * /He set down all his important thoughts in his dairy./ * /At the beginning of his letter Dan set down the date./ 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 some group; classify; consider. * /When he heard the man speak, he set him down as a fool./ 4. To explain; think a reason for. * /The teacher set down the boy'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. * /The sparks 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 the boy not to set foot out of the house until he had finished supper./
[set forth] <v.>, <formal> 1. To explain exactly or clearly. * /The President set forth his plans in a television talk./ 2. To start to go somewhere; begin a trip. * /The troop set forth on their ten-mile hike early./ Compare: SET OUT.
[set free] <v. phr.> To liberate. * /The trapper set all the small animals free before the snowstorm hit./
[set great store by] See: SET STORE BY.
[set in] <v.> To begin; start; develop. * /Before the boat could reach shore, a storm had set in./ * /He did not keep the cut clean and infection set in./ * /The wind set in from the east./
[set in one's ways] <adj. phr.> Stubborn; opinionated; unchangeable. * /My grandfather is so old and set in his ways that he'll eat nothing new./
[set loose] See: LET LOOSE(1a).
[set off] <v.> 1. To decorate through contrast; balance by difference. * /The bright colors of the birds were set off by the white snow./ * /A small gold pin set off her plain dark dress./ 2. To balance; make somewhat equal. * /Her great wealth, as he thought, set off her plain face./ 3a. To begin to go. * /They set off for the West in a covered wagon./ Compare: SET OUT. 3b. To cause to begin. * /A letter from home set off an attack of homesickness./ * /An atomic explosion is created by setting off a chain reaction in the atom./ Compare: TOUCH OFF. 3c. To cause to explode. * /On July 4 we set off firecrackers in many places./
[set of new threads] <n. phr.> New men's suit. * /"Nice set of new threads'" Ed said, when he saw Dave in his new tailor-made outfit./