释义 |
idiomsell sb down the riverto do something that harms a group of people that trusted you, in order to get an advantage for yourself:The government has sold the fishermen right down the river, by making deals with other countries that don't protect our fishing rights.The Nationalists believe that they have been sold down the river by their former allies, the Democrats.Note In the US before 1865 slaves (=workers who were owned by their employer) could be sold to other employers who often made them work harder and treated them worse. The idea of the river probably comes from the fact that the slaves would be sent to their new place by the river.
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