Неизвестен Автор - Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[laugh up one's sleeve] or [laugh in one's sleeve] or [laugh in one's beard] To be amused but not show it; hide your laughter. * /He was laughing up his sleeve when Joe answered the phone because he knew the call would he a joke./

[launch window] , , 1. A period of time when the line-up of planets, Sun, and Moon are such as to make favorable conditions for a specific space launch. * /The mission was canceled until the next launch window which will be exactly six weeks from today./ 2. A favorable time for starting some kind of ambitious adventure. * /My next launch window for a European trip isn't until school is over in June./

[laurel] See: LOOK TO ONE'S LAURELS, REST ON ONE'S LAURELS.

[lavender] See: LAY OUT(7).

[law] See: LAY DOWN THE LAW, PARLIAMENTARY LAW, TAKE THE LAW INTO ONE'S OWN HANDS.

[law-abiding] Obeying or following the law. * /Michael had been a law-abiding citizen all his life./

[lawful age] See: LEGAL AGE.

[law of averages] The idea that you can't win all the time or lose all the time. * /The Celtics have won 10 games in a row but the law of averages will catch up with them soon./

[law unto oneself] , A person who does only what he wishes; a person who ignores or breaks the law when he doesn't like it. * /Everybody in Germany feared Hitler because he was a law unto himself./ * /Mr. Brown told Johnny that he must stop trying to be a law unto himself./ Compare: TAKE THE LAW INTO ONE'S OWN HANDS.

[lay] See: KILL THE GOOSE THAT LAID THE GOLDEN EGG.

[lay about one] To hit out in all directions. - Used with a reflexive object: "her", "him", or "them". * /The bandits surrounded the sheriff, but he laid about him so hard, with his gun used as a club, that they stepped back and let him escape./ * /Mrs. Franklin didn't kill the mouse, but she laid about her so hard with the broom that she scared it away./

[lay a finger on] To touch or bother, even a little. Used in negative, interrogative, and conditional sentences. * /Don't you dare lay a finger on the vase!/ * /Suppose Billy fakes his brother with him; wilt the mean, tough boy down the street dare lay a finger on him?/ * /If you so much as lay a finger on my boy, I'll call the police./ Compare: LAY HANDS ON, PUT ONE'S FINGER ON.

[lay an egg] , To fail to win the interest or favor of an audience. * /His joke laid an egg./ * /Sometimes he is a successful speaker, but sometimes he lays an egg./

[lay aside] 1. To put off until another time; interrupt an activity. * /The president laid aside politics to turn to foreign affairs./ 2. To save. * /They tried to lay aside a little money each week for their vacation./

[lay at one's door] , To blame (something) on a person. * /The failure of the plan was laid at his door./ Compare: LAY TO(1).

[lay away] 1. To save. * /She laid a little of her pay away each week./ 2. To bury (a person). - Used to avoid the word "bury", which some people think is unpleasant. * /He was laid away in his favorite spot on the hill./

[lay-away plan] A plan for buying something that you can't pay cash for; a plan in which you pay some money down and pay a little more when you can, and the store holds the article until you have paid the full price. * /She could not afford to pay for the coat all at once, so she used the lay-away plan./

[lay bare] To expose; reveal; divulge. * /During his testimony the witness laid bare the whole story of his involvement with the accused./

[lay by] To save, especially a little at a time. * /The students laid a little money by every week till they had enough for a trip to Florida./ * /The farmer laid by some of his best corn to use the next year for seed./

[lay down] 1. To let (something) be taken; give up or surrender (something). * /The general told the troops to lay down their arms./ * /He was willing to lay down his life for his country./ Compare: GIVE UP. 2. To ask people to follow; tell someone to obey; make (a rule or principle). * /The committee laid down rules about the size of tennis courts./ 3. To declare; say positively; say surely; state. * /She laid it down as always true that "a fool and his money are soon parted."/ 4. To store or save for future use, especially in a cellar. * /They laid down several barrels of cider./

[lay down one's arms] To cease fighting; surrender. * /The Civil War ended when the Confederate army finally laid down its arms./

[lay down one's cards] See: LAY ONE'S CARDS ON THE TABLE.

[lay down one's life] To sacrifice one's life for a cause or person; suffer martyrdom. * /The early Christians often laid down their lives for their faith./

[lay down the law] 1. To give strict orders. * /The teacher lays down the law about homework every afternoon./ 2. To speak severely or seriously about a wrongdoing; scold. * /The principal called in the students and laid down the law to them about skipping classes./ Compare: TELL ONE WHERE TO GET OFF.

[lay eyes on] or [set eyes on] To see. * /She knew he was different as soon as she laid eyes on him./ * /I didn't know the man; in fact, I had never set eyes on him./

[lay for] , To hide and wait for in order to catch or attack; to lie in wait for. * /The bandits laid for him along the road./ * /I knew he had the marks for the exam, so I was laying for him outside his office./

[lay hands on] 1. To get hold of; find; catch. * /The treasure hunters can keep any treasure they can lay hands on./ * /If the police can lay hands on him, they will put him in jail./ Compare: LAY ONE'S HAND ON(2). 2. To do violence to; harm; hurt. * /They were afraid that if they left him alone in his disturbed condition he would lay hands on himself./

[lay hold of] 1. To take hold of; grasp; grab. * /He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore./ 2. To get possession of. * /He sold every washing machine he could lay hold of./ 3. To understand. * /Some ideas in this science book are hard to lay hold of./

[lay in] To store up a supply of; to get and keep for future use. * /Mrs. Mason heard that the price of sugar might go up, so she laid in a hundred pounds of it./ * /Before school starts, the principal will lay in plenty of paper for the students' written work./ Compare: LAY UP.

[lay into] or [light into] , 1. To attack physically; go at vigorously. * /The two fighters laid into each other as soon as the bell rang./ * /John loves Italian food and he really laid into the spaghetti./ Syn.: PITCH INTO, SAIL INTO. 2. To attack with words. * /The senator laid into the opponents of his bill./ Syn.: LACE INTO, RIP INTO. Compare: BAWL OUT, TELL OFF.

[lay it on] or [lay it on thick] also [put it on thick] or [spread it on thick] or [lay it on with a trowel] , To persuade someone by using very much flattery; flatter. * /Bob wanted to go to the movies. He laid it on thick to his mother./ * /Mary was caught fibbing. She sure spread it on thick./ Compare: PUT ON(2b).

[lay it on the line] See: LAY ON THE LINE(2).

[lay low] 1. To knock down; to force into a lying position; to put out of action. * /Many trees were laid low by the storm./ * /Jane was laid low by the flu./ 2. To kill. * /The hunters laid low seven pheasants./ 3. See: LIE LOW.

[layoff] A systematic or periodical dismissal of employees from a factory or a firm. * /Due to the poor economy, the car manufacturer announced a major layoff starting next month./

[lay off] 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. To stop bothering; leave alone. - Usually used in the imperative. * /Lay off me, will you? I have to study for a test./ 4. To stop using or taking. * /His doctor told him to lay off cigarettes./

[lay of the land] also [how the land lies] 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] 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] , 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] 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] , 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] 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] , 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] 1. To prepare (a dead body) for burial. * /The corpse was laid out by the undertaker./ 2. 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. To spend; pay. * /How much did you have to lay out for your new car?/ 7. or [lay out in lavender] 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] General situation; arrangement; plan. * /The layout of their apartment overlooking Lake Michigan was strikingly unusual./ Compare: LAID OUT.

[layover] 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] 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] , 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./