Learn English – “Sold” in the meaning of “bought”

This is quite a common phrase where I'm from...

'Saw you coming' is used to somewhat comical effect and what you saw was a reduction to the asburd - this would never be used in that context but instead, say, among friends:

Friend A: Check out my new branded watch, it only cost me £100!

Friend B: They saw you coming, it's a fake! [laughing ensues]

In this sense, what 'Friend B' is trying to say is that the seller would have known the watch was only worth, say, £25, and to somebody else may well have sold it it for such a price; but 'Friend A' was naive, or for whatever other reason, the seller had made a prejudgment (and preparations) based on experience which saw him trick you into paying a higher price.

The bottom line is that you were played, cheated, gazumped etc.

I think you can define "fresh" best by what it's not. Fresh is:

• not spoilt

And is generally:

• not frozen
• not dried
• not tinned

Often the sense is chilled, but not always (fresh milk is chilled, longlife milk isn't, and wouldn't be described as fresh, fresh meat is always chilled)

Of course, before refrigeration, the only way to get something fresh was to pick it just before consumption (with a few exceptions - apples, onions etc. can be stored cool and dry for some time).

You can think of the condition being (approximately) the same as in the historical case, the technology to achieve that condition not being particularly relevant.

In the sense of bakery products, "fresh" should mean baked recently- for some value of recently appropriate to the product. Generally this would mean on site or nearby, and perhaps not packed in a sealed packet.

However to describe something as "not fresh" would implies that it's past its best - slightly stale bread for example, so it's not quite the opposite.

I've tried to capture the whole range of meanings, but I'm sure I've missed some!