[lay off] <v. phr.> 1. To mark out the boundaries or limits. * /He laid off a baseball diamond on the vacant lot./ Compare: LAY OUT(5). 2. To put out of work. * /The company lost the contract for making the shoes and laid off half its workers./ 3. <slang> To stop bothering; leave alone. - Usually used in the imperative. * /Lay off me, will you? I have to study for a test./ 4. <slang> To stop using or taking. * /His doctor told him to lay off cigarettes./
[lay of the land] also [how the land lies] <n. phr.> 1. The natural features of a piece of land, such as hills and valleys. * /The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land./ 2. The way something is arranged; the important facts about something; how things are. * /The banker wanted to check the lay of the land before buying the stock./ * /Before the new boy will join our club, he wants to see how the land lies./
[lay on] <v.> 1. To spread on or over a surface; apply. * /He told us that we should lay on a second coat of paint for better protection against the weather./ 2. To beat; to strike. * /Little John seized a staff and began to lay on with great energy./ 3. See: LAY IT ON.
[lay one's cards on the table] or [lay down one's cards] or [put one's cards on the table] <v. phr.>, <informal> To let someone know your position and interest openly; deal honestly; act without trickery or secrets. * /In talking about buying the property, Peterson laid his cards on the table about his plans for it./ * /Some of the graduates of the school were unfriendly toward the new superintendent, but he put his cards on the table and won their support./
[lay oneself open to] <v. phr.> To make oneself vulnerable to; expose oneself. * /If you don't perform your job properly, you will lay yourself open to criticism./
[lay oneself out] <v. phr.>, <informal> To make an extra hard effort; try very hard. * /Larry wanted to win a medal for his school, so he really laid himself out in the race./
[lay one's finger on] See: PUT ONE'S FINGER ON.
[lay one's hands on] or [get one's hands on] <v. phr.> 1. To seize in order to punish or treat roughly. * /If I ever lay my hands on that boy he'll be sorry./ Compare: LAY A FINGER ON. 2. To get possession of. * /He was unable to lay his hands on a Model T Ford for the school play./ Compare: LAY HANDS ON(1). 3. or [lay one's hand on] or [put one's hand on] To find; locate. * /He keeps a file of letters so he can lay his hands on one whenever he needs it./
[lay on the line] or [put on the line] <v. phr.>, <informal> 1. To pay or offer to pay. * /The sponsors had to lay nearly a million dollars on the line to keep the show on TV./ * /The bank is putting $5,000 on the line as a reward to anyone who catches the robber./ Compare: PUT UP. 2. To say plainly so that there can be no doubt; tell truthfully, * /I'm going to lay it on the line for you, Paul. You must work harder if you want to pass./ 3. To take a chance of losing; risk. * /The champion is laying his title on the line in the fight tonight./ * /Frank decided to lay his job on the line and tell the boss that he thought he was wrong./
[lay out] <v. phr.> 1. To prepare (a dead body) for burial. * /The corpse was laid out by the undertaker./ 2. <slang> To knock down flat; to hit unconscious. * /A stiff right to the jaw laid the boxer out in the second round./ 3. To plan. * /Come here, Fred, I have a job laid out for you./ 4. To mark or show where work is to be done. * /The foreman laid out the job for the new machinist./ 5. To plan the building or arrangement of; design. * /The architect laid out the interior of the building./ * /The early colonists laid out towns in the wilderness./ Compare: LAY OFF(1). 6. <slang> To spend; pay. * /How much did you have to lay out for your new car?/ 7. or [lay out in lavender] <slang> To scold; lecture. * /He was laid out in lavender for arriving an hour late for the dance./ Compare: JUMP ON, LAY INTO(2), LET HAVE IT(1c).
[layout] <n.> General situation; arrangement; plan. * /The layout of their apartment overlooking Lake Michigan was strikingly unusual./ Compare: LAID OUT.
[layover] <n.> A stopover, usually at an airport or in a hotel due to interrupted air travel. * /There were several layovers at O'Hare last month due to bad weather./
[lay over] <v.> 1. To put off until later; delay; postpone. * /We voted to lay the question over to our next meeting for decision./ 2. To arrive in one place and wait some time before continuing the journey. * /We had to lay over in St. Louis for two hours waiting for a plane to Seattle./
[lay rubber] or [lay a patch] <v. phr.>, <slang> To take off in a car or a motorcycle so fast that the tires (made of rubber) leave a mark on the pavement. * /Look at those crazy drag racers; they laid rubber in front of my house./
[lay the blame at one's door] <v. phr.> To say that another person or group is responsible for one's own failure. * /The angry coach laid the blame at the door of the players when our college lost the basketball game./
[lay the fault at one's door] See: LAY THE BLAME AT ONE'S DOOR.
[lay their heads together] See: PUT THEIR HEADS TOGETHER.
[lay to] <v.> 1. To give the blame or credit to; to name as cause. * /He was unpopular and when he made money, it was laid to his dishonesty, but when he lost money, it was laid to his stupidity./ Compare: LAY AT ONE'S DOOR. 2. To hold a ship or boat still against the wind. * /The pirates decided to lay to that night and go ashore in the morning./ Compare: LIE TO. 3. To exert oneself; to work hard. * /He picked up a shovel and laid to with the rest of the gang./
[lay to heart] See: TAKE TO HEART.
[lay to rest] <v. phr.>, <informal> 1. To put a dead person into a grave or tomb; bury. * /President Kennedy was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery./ 2. To get rid of; put away permanently; stop. * /The Scoutmaster's fears that Tom had drowned were laid to rest when Tom came back and said he had gone for a boat ride./ * /The rumor that the principal had accepted another job was laid to rest when he said it wasn't true./
[lay up] <v.> 1. To collect a supply of; save for future, use; store. * /Bees lay up honey for the winter./ 2. To keep in the house or in bed because of sickness or injury; disable. * /Jack was laid up with a twisted knee and couldn't play in the final game./ 3. To take out of active service; put in a boat dock or a garage. * /Bill had to lay up his boat when school started./ * /If you lay up a car for the winter, you should take out the battery./
[lay waste] <v. phr.>, <literary> To cause wide and great damage to; destroy and leave in ruins; wreck. * /Enemy soldiers laid waste the land./
[lead] See: ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME, BLIND LEADING THE BLIND.
[lead] See: GET THE LEAD OUT OF ONE'S PANTS.
[lead a dog's life] <v. phr.>, <informal> To live a hard life, work hard, and be treated unkindly. * /A new college student of long ago led a dog's life./
[lead a merry chase] <v. phr.> To delay or escape capture by (someone) skillfully; make (a pursuer) work hard. * /The deer led the hunter a merry chase./ * /Valerie is leading her boyfriend a merry chase./
[lead by the nose] <v. phr.>, <informal> To have full control of; make or persuade (someone) to do anything whatever. * /Many people are easily influenced and a smart politician can lead them by the nose./ * /Don't let anyone lead you by the nose; use your own judgment and do the right thing./
[leader] See: MAJORITY LEADER, MINORITY LEADER.
[lead-footed] See: HEAVY-FOOTED.
[leading light] <n. phr.> A prominent person in a community, company, or group. * /Alan is the leading light of our discussion group on music./
[lead off] <v.> To begin; start; open. * /Richardson led off the inning with a double./ * /We always let Henry lead off./ * /Mr. Jones led off with the jack of diamonds./ * /When the teacher asked if the film helped them to understand, Phil led off by saying that he learned a lot from it./
[lead on] <v. phr.> To encourage you to believe something untrue or mistaken. * /Tom led us on to believe that he was a world traveler, but we found out that he had never been outside our state./ * /We were led on to think that Jeanne and Jim were engaged to be married./
[lead one a merry dance] <v. phr.> To cause someone unusual discomfort or expense; tire someone by causing one to overdo. * /With her personal extravagances and constant social activities that cost a fortune, Carol led her husband a merry dance./
[lead the way] <v. phr.> To go before and show how to go somewhere; guide. * /The boys need someone to lead the way on their hike./ * /The men hired an Indian to lead the way to the Pueblo ruins./ * /That school led the way in finding methods to teach reading./
[lead to] <v. phr.> To result in. * /Such a heavy arms race can only lead to war./
[leaf] See: TURN OVER A NEW LEAF.
[leaf through] <v. phr.> To scan or glance through a book or other reading matter. * /I only had time to leaf through the program before the concert started./
[league] See: IN LEAGUE WITH, IVY LEAGUE.
[leaguer] See: TEXAS LEAGUER.
[leak out] <v. phr.> To become known; escape. * /The famous beauty queen tried to keep her marriage a secret, but news of it soon leaked out./
[leak to] <v. phr.> To purposely let a secret be known, as if conveying it in the strictest confidence. * /The movie star's secret divorce was leaked to the tabloids by her housekeeper./
[lean on] <v. phr.>, <slang>, <informal> To pressure (someone) by blackmailing, threats, physical violence, or the withholding of some favor in order to make the person comply with a wish or request. * /I would gladly do what you ask if you only stopped leaning on me so hard!/
[lean over backward] See: BEND OVER BACKWARD.
[lean-to] <n.> 1. A shed for tools, such as spades, hoes, etc., attached to the wall of a house, * /Joe looked for the garden hose in the lean-to./ 2. A small cabin in the country. * /They spend their weekends in their modest lean-to in Wisconsin./
[leap] See: BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS.
[leap year] <n.> Every fourth year during which the month of February contains 29 rather than 28 days. * /During a leap year one must wait a day longer for one's February pay check./
[learn] See: LIVE AND LEARN.
[learn by heart] See: BY HEART.
[learn by rote] <v. phr.> To blindly memorize what was taught without thinking about it. * /If you learn a subject by rote, it will be difficult to say anything original about it./