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selling out

selling out

Date: Nov 19 2003

Quote

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

“If you eat McDonalds and you’re getting paid to advertise it how’s that selling out?
If you’re in punk rock world it’s looked at differently. But if you’re a main stream pop artist and you believe in that product why shouldn’t you advertise it?”
- Pink, singer, talking about famous people who appear in product advertisements.

Definition

1. Definition - Study the definition.

doing something that’s not true to yourself; doing something that you don’t want to do in order to get something; doing something you don’t believe in because you want a reward; doing 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
In the context of a bad thing one person does to another:
betraying someone, doing something bad to another person in order to benefit, revealing personal information about someone to receive something in exchange

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.”“

””I can’t believe you’re selling out! You’re dating Michael after you said you didn’t like him. Why are you dating him? Is it just because he has a nice car and lots of money?”“

””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.

From the context, I gess it refers to a person who betray his or her faith, briefs or friends for money.
by maggie (Zhengzhou, China)
“Sell Out” means to change one’s loyalty, betray one’s principles for some reason, especially for money. For example, They’re trying to bribe you. Are you going to sell out?
by Sherry (ShenZhen, China)
It’s context is based on a commercial person, that can change sides for a specific product, just like McDonald’s. She says in this case that the person should have a personality and think twice before doing it – before selling yourself.
by Ramiro (Juiz de Fora – MG, Brazil)
get paid for advertising something
by ivy (shenzhen, China)
selling out” means sell for someone?
by Lilian (Taipei, Taiwan)
To sell yourself to something
by Patricia (São Paulo, Brasil)
pesent something to someone for money.
by suttiluk (U.S.)
i guess “sell out” means “sell like hotcakes”,”sell well”,”popular”; and it also means “offer for sale”,”betray”
by Spring (Odense, Denmark)
I thig this means Betray
by Lima Filho (Recife, Brazil)
break promises, or betray your colleagues and then go after more benifits on the other side.
by Shirley (Hangzhou, China)
sell off, no one left.
by bella (Nanjing, China)
It means that all the products are sold that there is no product left.
by susan (Taipei, Taiwan)
That phrase means something is in demand and will be finished by the time.
by Asad (Karachi, Pakistan)
When somebody advertise someting being that place the thing what he/she is advertising will sell really good. The thing will get a lot of comsumer.
by Geni (Bloomington, U.S.A)
All things have been sold or there are none left!
by mehrzad (Tehran, Iran)
I think that slang is related about Punk Rock, but I think that slang means sell something.
by Enoch (Watsonville, USA)
selling out means help the saler selling out the goods
by hope (Anqing, China)
sell all thr things out,sell the productsand never left one
by xixi (Changzhou, China)
the last one has been sold
by S (Shanghai, China)
succeed
by siriporn (Bangkok, Thailand)
make people like your produce; get on the good side of the stuff
by kent (Toronto, Canada)
To sell up or to put all of one’s goods or possessions up for sale
by Vicky (Shunde, China)

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