to sell short
Preserved but no longer current.
A Stock Exchange phrase meaning to sell stock that one does not at the moment possess on the chance that before the date of delivery the price will have fallen; the same as "selling for a fall," or "selling a bear.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to sell short” mean?
A Stock Exchange phrase meaning to sell stock that one does not at the moment possess on the chance that before the date of delivery the price will have fallen; the same as "selling for a fall," or "selling a bear.
Is “to sell short” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.