Language: en
Meaning: (dated)To sell one'sproperty(not necessarily heirlooms) in an attempt to avoid or escapefinancialdifficulties.1939, Henry Louis Mencken, editor,The American Mercury, volume48:For two years he fretted in France,selling the family silverto support himself1969, Stephen Clissold,Bernardo O'Higgins and the Independence of Chile, page239:Though he had at last been reinstated in his rank of Captain-General, the Chilean Treasury seemed in no hurry to pay his pension and Dona Rosita was forced tosell the family silver.1985, Moira Ferguson,First Feminists: British Women Writers, 1578-1799, page437:There she collapsed when she made a bid tosell the family silverand by the time she advertised for work–ignominy for a landed heiress–she was fully aprised of the difficulties faced by women seeking employment.; (politics,finance)To sell avaluableorcriticalasset, especially forimmediateorshort-termgain.1988, Lee E. Preston, editor,International and Comparative Studies, volume 1,→ISBN, page161:And if it is close, when is it sensible tosell the family silver?2000, Steve Kayizzi-Mugerwa, editor,The African Economy: Policy, Institutions and the Future,→ISBN, page192:There have been resignations of government officials over anomalies in the privatisation of the copper industry, while the charge that the government isselling the family silveris still voiced frequently.2003, James D. Bamford, Benjamin Gomes-Casseres, Michael S. Robinson,Mastering Alliance Strategy,→ISBN, page60:[...] yet it had only a 50 percent stake because its partner, while recognizing that it needed and alliance in order to introduce new products, was unwilling tosell the family silverby giving up 51 percent.
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