ENGLISH
REFERENCE

flog off

phr. v..
C1 Advanced Oxford British English Informal

phr. v.. to sell something quickly or cheaply because you want to get rid of it.

phr. v.. to dispose of assets or goods by selling them, often at a reduced price or in a hurried manner; carries a connotation of low quality or a desire to liquidate stock.


SIMPLE

He decided to flog off his old car for fifty pounds.

CONTEXTUAL

The company had to flog off its remaining inventory before the warehouse lease expired at the end of the month.

COMPLEX

After the bankruptcy filing, the liquidators began to flog off the firm's intellectual property to the highest bidder in a series of private auctions.

Particles
off
Separability
optional
Pattern
flog + off + object
Usage

primarily British English; the object can go before or after the particle 'off'.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'sell' to show the negative or hurried nuance; 'flog' on its own means 'to sell' or 'to whip', but 'flog off' specifically implies disposal.

Pitfall

They flogged off to the customers their stock.They flogged off their stock to the customers.the direct object should follow the phrasal verb or come between the verb and particle, not after a prepositional phrase.

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