sell one's soul

• sell one's soul to the Devil, sell one's soul to the devil

From the medieval legend of Faust, who made a contract with the devil, exchanging his soul for worldly gains.

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sell one's soul (third-person singular simple present sells one's soul, present participle selling one's soul, simple past and past participle sold one's soul)

1. (idiomatic) To abandon one's spiritual values or moral principles for wealth or other benefits.
   • 1877, Charles Reade, chapter 3, in A Woman-Hater‎:

     He murmured in her ear. “You are Marguerite, for you could fire a man's heart so that he would sell his soul to gain you.”

   • 1910, John Buchan, chapter 3, in Prester John, London; Edinburgh: Thomas Nelson and Sons, →OCLC:

     So I resolved to acquire a dog, and bought one from a prospector, who was stony-broke and would have sold his soul for a drink.

   • 2005 June 29, Desa Philadelphia, “Crunk: Hip-Hop's Got a New Accent”, in Time‎, archived from the original on 2012-09-05:

     After all, the South is where jazz and blues were invented. Where Robert Johnson supposedly sold his soul to the devil so he could play the licks that would become rock 'n' roll.

• Faustian bargain
• sell one's birthright for a mess of pottage
• sell one's own grandmother