lay about one


1 [ley]
verb (used with object), laid, laying.
to put or place in a horizontal position or position of rest; set down: to lay a book on a desk.
to knock or beat down, as from an erect position; strike or throw to the ground: One punch laid him low.
to establish as a basis; set up: to lay the foundations for further negotiations.
to bury: They laid him in the old churchyard.
to bring forth and deposit (an egg or eggs).
to place dinner service on (a table); set.
to devise or arrange, as a plan.
to deposit as a wager; bet: He laid $10 on the horse.
to set (a trap).
Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse with.
to form by twisting strands together, as a rope.
to put (dogs) on a scent.
verb (used without object), laid, laying.
to lay eggs.
to wager or bet.
to apply oneself vigorously.
Nonstandard. lie2.
Midland and Southern U.S. (of the wind) to diminish; subside: When the wind lays, it'll rain.
Slang: Vulgar.
a partner in sexual intercourse.
an instance of sexual intercourse.
batten3 ( defs 1, 2 ).
Verb phrases
lay aside,
to abandon; reject.
lay away,
to reserve for later use; save.
to bury: They laid him away in the tomb.
lay back, Slang. to relax.
lay by,
lay down,
to give up; yield: to lay down one's arms.
to assert firmly; state authoritatively: to lay down rigid rules of conduct.
to stock; store: to lay down wine.
lay for, Informal. to wait for in order to attack or surprise; lie in wait for: The police are laying for him.
lay into, Informal. to attack physically or verbally; assail: He laid into the opposition with fiery words.
lay off,
Informal. to cease or quit: He promised to lay off drinking.
Slang. to stop annoying or teasing: Lay off me, will you?
Informal. to stop work: They laid off at four and went home.
to put aside or take off.
to mark off; measure; plot.
Nautical. to sail away from.
Nautical. to remain stationary at a distance from.
Shipbuilding. lay1 ( def 47d ).
lay on,
to cover with; apply: to lay on a coat of wax.
Nautical. to sail toward.
Slang. to tell, impart, or give to: Let me lay a little good advice on you.
lay open,
to expose; reveal: Her autobiography lays open shocking facts about her childhood.
lay out,
to extend at length.
to spread out in order; arrange; prepare.
to plan; plot; design.
to ready (a corpse) for burial.
Informal. to spend or contribute (money).
Slang. to knock (someone) down or unconscious.
to make a layout of.
lay over,
lay to,
Nautical. to check the motion of (a ship).
to attack vigorously.
to put forth effort; apply oneself.
lay up,
to put away for future use; store up.
Nautical. to retire (a ship) from active use.
get laid, Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse.
lay about one,
to strike or aim blows in every direction.
to proceed to do; set about.
lay a course,
Nautical. to sail in the desired direction without tacking.
to proceed according to a plan.
lay it on, to exaggerate in one's speech or actions, especially to engage in exaggerated flattery or reproof: She was glad to be told what a splendid person she was, but they didn't have to lay it on so much. Also, lay it on thick.
lay low. low1 ( defs 50, 51 ).
lay oneself out, Informal. to try one's best; make a great effort: They laid themselves out to see that the reception would be a success.
lay siege to. siege ( def 9 ).


1. lay, lie (see usage note at the current entry) ; 2. downsize, fire, lay off, rightsize, terminate ; 3. lay off, layoff.


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World English Dictionary
lay1 (leɪ)
vb , lays, laying, laid
1.  to put in a low or horizontal position; cause to lie: to lay a cover on a bed
3.  not standard (intr) to be in a horizontal position; lie: he often lays in bed all the morning
4.  (sometimes foll by down) to establish as a basis: to lay a foundation for discussion
5.  to place or dispose in the proper position: to lay a carpet
6.  to arrange (a table) for eating a meal
7.  to prepare (a fire) for lighting by arranging fuel in the grate
8.  (also intr) (of birds, esp the domestic hen) to produce (eggs)
9.  to present or put forward: he laid his case before the magistrate
10.  to impute or attribute: all the blame was laid on him
11.  to arrange, devise, or prepare: to lay a trap
12.  to place, set, or locate: the scene is laid in London
13.  to apply on or as if on a surface: to lay a coat of paint
14.  to impose as a penalty or burden: to lay a fine
15.  to make (a bet) with (someone): I lay you five to one on Prince
16.  to cause to settle: to lay the dust
17.  to allay; suppress: to lay a rumour
18.  to bring down forcefully: to lay a whip on someone's back
19.  slang to have sexual intercourse with
20.  slang to bet on (a horse) to lose a race
21.  to press down or make smooth: to lay the nap of cloth
23.  to arrange and twist together (strands) in order to form (a rope, cable, etc)
24.  military to apply settings of elevation and training to (a weapon) prior to firing
25.  (foll by on) hunting to put (hounds or other dogs) onto a scent
26.  another word for inlay
27.  dialect, informal or (intr; often foll by to or out) to plan, scheme, or devise
28.  (intr) nautical to move or go, esp into a specified position or direction: to lay close to the wind
29.  nautical lay aboard (formerly) to move alongside a warship to board it
30.  lay a course
 a.  nautical to sail on a planned course without tacking
 b.  to plan an action
31.  lay bare to reveal or explain: he laid bare his plans
32.  lay hands on See hands
33.  lay hold of to seize or grasp
34.  lay oneself open to make oneself vulnerable (to criticism, attack, etc): by making such a statement he laid himself open to accusations of favouritism
35.  lay open to reveal or disclose
36.  lay siege to to besiege (a city, etc)
37.  the manner or position in which something lies or is placed
38.  taboo, slang
 a.  an act of sexual intercourse
 b.  a sexual partner
39.  a portion of the catch or the profits from a whaling or fishing expedition
40.  the amount or direction of hoist in the strands of a rope

lay2 (leɪ)
the past tense of lie

lay3 (leɪ)
1.  of, involving, or belonging to people who are not clergy
2.  nonprofessional or nonspecialist; amateur
[C14: from Old French lai, from Late Latin lāicus, ultimately from Greek laos people]

lay4 (leɪ)
1.  a ballad or short narrative poem, esp one intended to be sung
2.  a song or melody
[C13: from Old French lai, perhaps of Germanic origin]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Word Origin & History

O.E. lecgan "to place on the ground (or other surface)," also "put down (often by striking)," from P.Gmc. *lagjanan (cf. O.S. leggian, O.N. leggja, O.Fris. ledza, M.Du. legghan, Du. leggen, O.H.G. lecken, Ger. legen, Goth. lagjan "to lay, put, place"), causative of lie (v.2).
Meaning "way in which something is laid" (lay of the land) first recorded 1819. Meaning "have sex with" first recorded 1934, in U.S. slang, from sense of "deposit" (which was in O.E., as in lay an egg, lay a bet, etc.), perhaps reinforced by to lie with, a frequent phrase in the Bible. The noun meaning "woman available for sexual intercourse" is attested from 1930, but there are suggestions of it in stage puns from as far back as 1767. Lay off "dismiss" (an employee) is from 1868; meaning "stop disturbing" is from 1908. To lay for (someone) "await a chance at revenge" is from 1494; lay low "stay inconspicuous" is from 1839. To lay (someone) low preserves the secondary O.E. sense.

early 14c., from O.Fr. lai "secular, not of the clergy" (Fr. laïque), from L.L. laicus, from Gk. laikos "of the people," from laos "people," of unknown origin. In M.E., contrasted with learned, a sense revived 1810 for "non-expert."

"short song," c.1240, from O.Fr. lai "song, lyric," of unknown origin, perhaps from Celt. (cf. Ir. laid "song, poem," Gael. laoidh "poem, verse, play") since the earliest verses so called were Arthurian ballads, but another theory traces it to a Gmc. source, cf. O.H.G. leich "play, melody, song."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

lie (lī)

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

lay about one



The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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