They've had to sell the family silver to pay the bills.

他们不得已卖掉家传的银器去支付账单。

《牛津词典》

Mother made me scour the family silver.

母亲让我擦洗家里的银器。

youdao

The first thing any insolvent private person is forced to do is relinquish the family silver.

任何破产的个人被迫做的第一件事是放弃家当。

youdao

In order to do that, we now have to sell off the family silver.

BBC: Newcastle Lord Mayor's coach

Don Price, the city's deputy leader, says it would be like selling the family silver.

ECONOMIST: Airport privatisation

He has stood firm and resisted the temptation to raise the money at a stroke by selling off the family silver in the form of Alan Smith, Mark Viduka and Paul Robinson.

BBC: SPORT | Football | My Club | Leeds United | Leeds' final countdown