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The phrase “sell down the river” is a well-known idiom in English that has been used for many years. It is often used to describe a situation where someone has betrayed or deceived another person, usually for their own personal gain.
In a meeting today a colleague used the phrase, "We don't want to sell them down the river. It is my understanding that to sell one down the river is to trick or deceive a person in order to gain some advantage. Three questions:
Jan 27, 2014 · Being "sold down the river" means you've been betrayed. It used to mean something far worse. NPR's Code Switch traces the history of the phrase and spells out its original meaning in...
What's the origin of the phrase 'Sold down the river'? This phrase originated in the Mississippi region of the USA during slave trading days. Slaves who caused trouble were sold from the northern slave states into the much harsher conditions on plantations in the lower Mississippi.
Decoding 'Sell Down the River': Unraveling an English Idiom • Join us as we delve into the origins and meanings of the English idiom 'sell down the river' in this informative and engaging...
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To sell someone down the river means to betray, mislead or swindle someone and dates in this sense from the early 20th century. The expression derives from the literal practice of American slave-owners selling troublesome slaves to plantations further down the Mississippi where conditions were harsher, and this is first cited from the early ...
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'Sell down the river' is an English idiom. It means 'to betray or deceive someone, often by providing information that harms them or their interests.'
