Adam Makkai - Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц

[lay an egg] {v. phr.} , {slang} 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] {v. phr.} 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] {v. phr.} , {literary} To blame (something) on a person. •/ The failure of the plan was laid at his door. / Compare: LAY TO(1).

[lay away] {v.} 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] {n.} 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] {v. phr.} To expose; reveal; divulge. •/ During his testimony the witness laid bare the whole story of his involvement with the accused. /

[lay by] {v.} 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] {v.} 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] {v. phr.} 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] {v. phr.} 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] {v. phr.} 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] {v. phr.} 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] {v.} , {informal} 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] {v. phr.} 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] {v. phr.} 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. {Chiefly British} To understand. •/ Some ideas in this science book are hard to lay hold of. /

[lay in] {v.} 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] {v.} , {informal} 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. {slang} 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] {v. phr.} , {informal} 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] {v.} 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] {n.} 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] {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. /