[latch string]{n.} 1. A string that opens an old-fashioned door by lifting a small bar. •/The early settlers kept the latch string outside the door when they were working around the house, but at night they pulled it to the inside./ 2. {informal} A warm welcome; a friendly greeting. — Used in such phrases as "the latch string is out." •/Mary has her latch siring out for everyone who comes./ Syn.: WELCOME MAT(2).
[late] See: BETTER LATE THAN NEVER, OF LATE.
[lately] See: JOHNNY-COME-LATELY.
[later] See: SOONER OR LATER.
[later on]{adv.} Later; not now. •/Finish your lessons. Later on, we may have a surprise./ •/Bill couldn’t stand on his head when school started, but later on he learned how./
[lather] See: IN A LATHER.
[laugh] See: HE LAUGHS BEST WHO LAUGHS LAST, HAVE THE LAST LAUGH.
[laugh all the way to the bank]{v. phr.} To have made a substantial amount of money either by lucky investment or by some fraudulent deal and rejoice over one’s gains. •/If you had done what I suggested, you, too, could be laughing all the way to the bank./
[laughing matter]{n.} A funny happening; a silly situation. — Usually used with "no". •/John’s failing the test is no laughing matter!/ •/We were amused when our neighbor’s cat had five kittens, but when our own cat had six kittens it was no laughing matter./
[laugh in one’s beard] See: LAUGH UP ONE’S SLEEVE.
[laugh in one’s sleeve] See: LAUGH UP ONE’S SLEEVE.
[laugh off]{v.} To dismiss with a laugh as not important or not serious; not take seriously. •/He had a bad fall while ice skating but he laughed it off./ •/You can’t laugh off a ticket for speeding./ Compare: MAKE LIGHT OF.
[laugh one out of]{v. phr.} To cause another to forget his/her worries and sorrows by joking. •/Jack was worried about getting airsick, but his son and daughter laughed him out of it./
[laugh one’s head off]{v. phr.}, {informal} To laugh very hard; be unable to stop laughing. •/Paul’s stories are so wildly funny that I laugh my head off whenever he starts telling one of them./
[laugh on the wrong side of one’s mouth] or [laugh on the other side of one’s mouth] or [laugh out of the other side of one’s mouth] {v. phr.}, {informal} To be made sorry; to feel annoyance or disappointment; cry. •/Paul boasted that he was a good skater, but after he fell, he laughed out of the other side of his mouth./
[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]{n.}, {Space English}, {informal} 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]{adj.} Obeying or following the law. •/Michael had been a law-abiding citizen all his life./
[lawful age] See: LEGAL AGE.
[law of averages]{n. phr.} 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]{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./
[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./
