sell-out— 1. mass sale of a commodity: The shortage of shopping times for working people causes overcrowding, poor service and sell-outs on Saturday. 2. a show for which all seats are sold: I have four tickets…. They’re absolutely impossible to get, show is a sell-out, but the agent is a friend of mine. 3. a […]
Category: Confusing Phrases
Difference between Sell oneself to someone and Sell someone out to someone
sell oneself to someone— 1. present oneself in a favorable light; convince other people of one’s merits: You’re selling yourself to your employer, and attitude and dress are really all you need for that. Cf.: sell oneself short—underestimate oneself: My parents have always taught me to take pride in everything I do and not to […]
Difference between Self-righteous and Self-righting
self-righteous—sure of the superiority of one’s personal beliefs and actions: It is in this manner, and not with a selfrighteous attitude, that we should approach the incidents which sometimes occur. self-righting—(usually of a boat) able to turn right side up after being capsized: They initially planned to market the rescue tool, and Peter’s design for […]
Difference between Select committee and Selection committee
select committee—a committee consisting of a small number of members, selected to investigate smth.: The select committee studying motorized snow vehicles spent the better part of a day’s sitting listening to an expert. selection committee—a committee appointed to choose a particular individual or individuals: If George had been a member of the Olympic Games Selection […]
Seeded raisins vs Seedless raisins
seeded raisins—raisins without seeds, made from grapes from which the seeds have been removed before or after drying:
Difference between See you in the soup and See you in the soup line
see you in the soup—(Austral. sl.) see you around (a form of farewell): Cheers all, see you in the soup a few weeks from now. Have a great vacation! Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase be in the soup—(coll.) be in a difficult situation: The school finally phoned my mom […]
Difference between See through a glass darkly and See through rosecolored glasses
see through a glass darkly—(the Bible) is used to say that humans have a fundamentally clouded, fractured, and limited perception of reality (also: see in a mirror, dimly): Here is another key principle of all history-writing: The historian, by force of his human limitations, sees through a glass darkly. see through rose-colored glasses—said of an […]
Difference between See the light and See the light of day
see the light— 1. (of a book, etc.) be published: Christopher Isherwood’s diaries are now at last to see the light. 2. realize one’s mistakes; understand smth. after thinking about it: He was waiting for me to beg him to forgive me and tell him that I had seen the light. 3. believe that a difficult part […]
Difference between See stars and Star-gaze
see stars—be dazed as a result of a blow on the head: She fetched me a slap in the face that made me see stars. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase get stars in one’s eyes—be fascinated with smth.; be captivated by impractical ideas: I only hired people that got […]
Difference between See something with half an eye and With half an eye on something
see something with half an eye—see or understand smth. very clearly or easily: The teacher could see with half an eye that Jim was going to have trouble with some boys who disagreed with him. with half an eye on something —(also: with one eye on something) directing one’s attention only partly to smth. (while […]
Difference between See something through and See through something
see something through— 1. continue to work on smth. until it is completed: I had taken on a task, and I was bound to see it through. 2. see the whole of a film, play, etc.: I’d much rather see the film through from the beginning, so let’s go to the second showing. see through […]
Difference between See someone through and See through someone
see someone through—help smb. come through the difficulties; give a person support until the end: Her thoughts flew off to Ralph recalling with pleasure his promise to “see her through.” see through someone—understand the real nature and motives of a person: The real reason he didn’t like her was because she could see through him, and […]