Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)
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[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./