( sell-by dates)
1.
The sell-by date on a food container is the date by which the food should be sold or eaten before it starts to decay. ( BRIT; in AM, use expiration date )
...a piece of cheese four weeks past its sell-by date.
N-COUNT
2.
If you say that someone or something is past their sell-by date , you mean they are no longer effective, interesting, or useful. ( BRIT )
As a sportsman, he is long past his sell-by date.
PHRASE : N inflects , v-link PHR [ disapproval ]