sell down the river

Idioms and Phrases

Betray, as in They kept the merger a secret until the last minute, so the employees who were laid off felt they'd been sold down the river . This expression, dating from the mid-1800s, alludes to slaves being sold down the Mississippi River to work as laborers on cotton plantations. Its figurative use dates from the late 1800s.

Related Words

• blow the lid off
• bring to light
• crack wide open
• disclose
• divulge
• expose
• inform
• leak
• report
• tell