Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[law unto oneself] <n. phr.>, <literary> 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] <v. phr.> 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] <v. phr.> 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] <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./