Learn English with English, baby!

Join for FREE!

Social_nav_masthead_logged_in
 
sell out

sell out

Date: Jan 17 2008

Themes: Music, Pop Culture

Quote

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

“Sell out? I’ve sold out every gig I’ve ever done.”

- Sex Pistols singer Johnny Rotten doesn’t care what you think about his career choices. (Harp Magazine)

Definition

1. Definition - Study the definition.

value money or convenience over creativity or ideals

2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.

Artists want their performances to sell out, but they don’t want to be sell outs. Get it? It’s a little tricky. When all the tickets for an event are sold, the event is sold out. Artists like that because it means they’re popular and making money. But when, for instance, a band changes the style of music they play just so they’ll get played on the radio, that’s called selling out, and while it will make them money, people will lose respect for them.

When an artist is respected by a group (no matter how small) for making honest work, that artist has integrity. But sometimes people with integrity stop making the kind of art they like best and simply try to make money. Those people are sell outs.

You also might get called a sell out if you allow something that you made and that your fans loved to be used in a commercial or game or other money-making project. But it’s hard to say what’s right. Artists deserve to make money, and sometimes it’s hard to make a living without selling out a little.

In the 1970s, the Sex Pistols helped make punk popular and shocking with their rude attitudes and rebellious lyrics. Recently, they rerecorded some of their songs for a video game. Some people think that’s selling out, but Johnny Rotten doesn’t care. He jokes that the only thing he sells out are concerts.

Examples

1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.

“Can you believe all the commercials Bob Dylan is in now? He totally sold out.

Winners

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

Choclover have sold everthing out what was for sale
by Choclover
give up what you believe, betray what you want to do
by ongbori2002
haibim "Sell out" means having sold all the products we have.
by haibim
m@nuelm@d all the tickets were sold
by m@nuelm@d
Andy_Borba Johnny Rotten is just saying that every concert that he did in his career was a success . The meaning of sell out it can be : all of tickets available to the public were sold , so the venues where they played always were full of people.
by Andy_Borba
do smth. to get the money, here: write music only for profit
by if_i_refuse
Michellita to sell something up to the end of it. For example the tickets for a concert, copies of books, etc. If they are sold out you can't buy them anymore.
by Michellita
I guess it means when you accept something that is not well seeing in the music's world in exange of money for some companies
by lamoni87
nevillepc I think is to change the style just to sell more records.
by nevillepc
Selling out means to sell all tickets for a concert, and generally sell all products until there is no unit left.
by saveourlives
To sell all of what was for sale.
by zeal_stefanie

Want to guess next week's slang?

The iTEP® test

  • Schedule an iTEP® test and take the official English Practice Test.

    Take Now >

Comments

Log in to Comment

writer321

Pakistan

A man can feel confident and unbeatable Bestessaytips.com Review education level with education and getting knowledge is best way to get a fame and make own identity.

06:38 PM Jul 02 2015 |

xiaowugui

xiaowugui

China

sell out meaning sell something to others by any way

02:04 AM Jan 24 2008 |

china1999

china1999

China

good information

04:09 AM Jan 21 2008 |

ahmedlee

ahmedlee

Iraq

sell out all my records

12:32 PM Jan 18 2008 |

mahmoudjeexaa

Somalia

Sex Pistol LOL, SELL OUT some times I sell out the my bussiness shop.
Sell out is very important

04:44 PM Jan 17 2008 |

momocha

momocha

China

“sth. is sold out” means you can’t get it in the market because it is not enough in quantity; “sb.is sold out” means that sb.change or pack themselves to cater the needs of pepole.

01:29 PM Jan 17 2008 |

milan22parmar

United States

Musician of present days, who sells out, should learn from Beethoven.

08:00 AM Jan 17 2008 |

explorer143

Pakistan

all the tickets sold out at black..

06:56 AM Jan 17 2008 |

tiffintime

tiffintime

Sri Lanka

“Sell out” is sometimes used when talking about politics, usually to indicate betrayal. For example: the Earth king is a sell out, he is negotiating with the Alien king behind our back.

06:50 AM Jan 17 2008 |

abdeeq

abdeeq

Somalia

sex pistol

06:19 AM Jan 17 2008 |

tianshifuren

China

excuse me,i have one question.can i say “someone who work hard will be suessful”.does is means he had sell out.

01:50 AM Jan 17 2008 |

Likes (137):

See all >

Share this lesson:

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Bebo
  • Share on Myspace
  • Share on Twitter
  • Email this to a friend
  • Share on Sina

Post Ebaby! lessons on your blog:

Ebaby! Cast