[leave high and dry] See: HIGH AND DRY.
[leave holding the bag] or [leave holding the sack] {v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To cause (someone) not to have something needed; leave without anything, •/In the rush for seats, Joe was left holding the bag./ 2. To force (someone) to take the whole responsibility or blame for something that others should share. •/When the ball hit the glass, the team scattered and left George holding the bag./ •/After the party, the other girls on the clean-up committee went away with their dates, and left Mary holding the bag./
[leave in the lurch]{v. phr.} To desert or leave alone in trouble; refuse to help or support. •/The town bully caught Eddie, and Tom left him in the lurch./ •/Bill quit his job, leaving his boss in the lurch./ Compare: LEAVE FLAT, HIGH AND DRY(2), WALK OUT(2).
[leave it at that]{v. phr.} To avoid further and more acrimonious disagreement; not argue or discuss any further. •/Our opinion on health care is obviously different, so let’s just leave it at that./
[leave no stone unturned]{v. phr.} To try in every way; miss no chance; do everything possible. — Usually used in the negative. •/The police will leave no stone unturned in their search for the bank robbers./ Compare: ALL OUT, BEND HEAVEN AND EARTH, FINE-TOOTH COMB.
[leave off]{v.} To come or put to an end; stop. •/There is a high fence where the school yard leaves off and the woods begin./ •/Don told the boys to leave off teasing his little brother./ •/Marion put a marker in her book so that she would know where she left off./ Contrast: TAKE UP.
[leave one’s mark]{v. phr.} To leave an impression upon; influence someone. •/Tolstoy never won the Nobel Prize, but he left his mark on world literature./ See: MAKE ONE’S MARK.
[leave open]{v. phr.} To remain temporarily unsettled; subject to further discussion. •/Brad said that the question of health insurance would be left open until some future date./
[leave out]{v. phr.} To skip; omit. •/The printer accidentally left out two paragraphs from Alan’s novel./
[leave out in the cold] See: OUT IN THE COLD.
[leave out of account]{v. phr.} To fail to consider; forget about. •/The picnic planners left out of account that it might rain./ Contrast: TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.
[leave-taking] See: TAKE ONE’S LEAVE.
[leave the matter open] See: LEAVE OPEN.
[leave well enough alone] See: LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE.
[leave without a leg to stand on] See: LEG TO STAND ON.
[leave word with]{v. phr.} To leave a message. •/Hank left word with his secretary where he could be reached by phone while he was away from his office./
[left] See: OUT IN LEFT FIELD, RIGHT AND LEFT.
[left field]{n.} 1. The part of a baseball out-field to the batter’s left. •/Right-handed batters usually hit to left field./ Compare: CENTER FIELD, RIGHT FIELD. 2. See: OUT IN LEFT FIELD. — [left fielder] {n.} The player in baseball who plays in left field. •/The scoreboard in the ball park is on the fence behind the left fielder./
[left-handed]{adj.}, {informal} 1. Using the left hand habitually. 2. Crooked; phoney; homosexual. •/Morris is such a left-handed guy./ 3. Clumsy; untoward; awkward. •/Grab that hammer and stop acting so left-handed./
[left-handed compliment] An ambiguous compliment which is interpretable as an offense. •/I didn’t know you could look so pretty! Is that a wig you’re wearing?/
[left-wing]{adj.} That which is or belongs to a group of people in politics that favors radical change in the direction of socialism or communism. •/The left-wing faction called for an immediate strike./
[leg] See: ON ONE’S LAST LEGS, PULL ONE’S LEG, SHAKE A LEG, TAIL BETWEEN ONE’S LEGS.
[legal age] or [lawful age] The age at which a person is allowed to do a certain thing or is held responsible for an action. •/In most states the legal age for voting is 27./ •/He could not get a driver’s license because he was not of lawful age./
[leg man]{n.}, {informal} 1. An errand boy; one who performs messenger services, or the like. •/Joe hired a leg man for the office./ 2. {slang}, {semi-vulgar}, {avoidable} A man who is particularly attracted to good looking female legs and pays less attention to other parts of the female anatomy. •/Herb is a leg man./
[leg-pulling] See: PULL ONE’S LEG.
[Legree] See: SIMON LEGREE.
[leg to stand on]{n. phr.} A firm foundation of facts; facts to support your claim. — Usually used in the negative. •/Jerry’s answering speech left his opponent without a leg to stand on./ •/Amos sued for damages, but did not have a leg to stand on./
[leg work]{n.}, {informal} The physical end of a project, such as the typing of research reports; the physical investigating of a criminal affair; the carrying of books to and from libraries; etc. •/Joe, my research assistant, does a lot of leg work for me./
[leisure] See: AT LEISURE or AT ONE’S LEISURE.
[lend a hand] or [give a hand] also [bear a hand] {v. phr.} To give help; make yourself useful; help. •/The stage manager asked some of the boys to lend a hand with the scenery./ •/Dick saw a woman with a flat tire and offered to give her a hand with it./ Compare: LIFT A FINGER.
[lend an ear to] See: GIVE AN EAR TO.
[lend color to] See: GIVE COLOR TO.
[lend itself to]{v. phr.} To give a chance for or be useful for; to be possible or right for. •/Bob was sick and did not go to Jane’s party, but his absence lent itself to misunderstanding./ •/The teacher’s paperweight was a heavy piece of metal which sometimes lent itself to use as a hammer./ •/This poem lends itself to our program very well./ Compare: LEND ONESELF TO.
[lend oneself to]{v. phr.} To give help or approval to; encourage; assist. •/Alice wouldn’t lend herself to the plot to hide the teacher’s chalk./
[length] See: AT LENGTH, GO TO ANY LENGTH, KEEP AT A DISTANCE or KEEP AT ARM’S LENGTH.
[less] See: MORE OR LESS, MUCH LESS.
[lesson] See: TEACH A LESSON.
[less than]{adv.} Not; little. •/We were busy and less than delighted to have company that day./ •/The boys were less than happy about having a party./ Contrast: MORE THAN.
[less than no time]{n. phr.}, {informal} Very quickly. •/We can be ready to go in less than no time./ •/It took Sally less than no time to get dinner ready./
[let] See: LIVE AND LET LIVE.
[let alone]{conj. phr.} 1. Even less; certainly not. — Used after a negative clause. •/I can’t add two and two, let alone do fractions./ •/Jim can’t drive a car, let alone a truck./ Compare: MUCH LESS, NOT TO MENTION. 2. [let alone] or [leave alone] {v.} To stay away from; keep hands off; avoid. •/When Joel gets mad, just let him alone./ •/Little Patsy was warned to leave the birthday cake alone./ Compare: LET BE.
[let be]{v.} To pay no attention to; disregard; forget. •/Let her be; she has a headache./ Compare: LET ALONE.
[let bygones be bygones]{v. phr.} To let the past be forgotten. •/After a long, angry quarrel the two boys agreed to let bygones be bygones and made friends again./ •/We should let bygones be bygones and try to get along with each other./ Syn.: FORGIVE AND FORGET. Compare: BURY THE HATCHET, LIVE AND LET LIVE.
[letdown]{n.} A disappointment; a heartbreak. •/It was a major letdown for John when Mary refused to marry him./
[let down]{v. phr.} 1. To allow to descend; lower. •/Harry let the chain saw down on a rope and then climbed down himself./ 2. To relax; stop trying so hard; take it easy. •/The horse let down near the end of the race and lost./ •/The team let down in the fourth quarter because they were far ahead./ Compare: LET GO. 3. To fail to do as well as (someone) expected; disappoint. •/The team felt they had let the coach down./
[let down easy]{v. phr.} To refuse or say no to (someone) in a pleasant manner; to tell bad news about a refusal or disappointment in a kindly way. •/The teacher had to tell George that he had failed his college examinations, but she tried to let him down easy./ •/The boss tried to let Jim down easy when he had to tell him he was too young for the job./
[let down one’s hair] See: LET ONE’S HAIR DOWN.
[let drop]{v. phr.} 1. To cease to talk about; set aside; forget. •/This is such an unpleasant subject that I suggest we let it drop for a few days./ 2. To disclose; hint. •/He unexpectedly let drop that he was resigning and joining another firm./
[let fall] See: LET DROP.
[let George do it]{v. phr.}, {informal} To expect someone else to do the work or take the responsibility. •/Many people expect to let George do it when they are on a committee./ Compare: PASS THE BUCK.
[let go]{v.} 1a. To stop holding something; loosen your hold; release. •/The boy grabbed Jack’s coat and would not let go./ — Often used with "of". •/When the child let go of her mother’s hand, she fell down./ Compare: GIVE UP(1a), LET LOOSE. 1b. To weaken and break under pressure. •/The old water pipe suddenly let go and water poured out of it./ Syn.: GIVE WAY. Contrast: HOLD ON TO. 2. To pay no attention to; neglect. •/Robert let his teeth go when he was young and now he has to go to the dentist often./ •/After she was married, Jane let herself go and was not pretty anymore. / 3. To allow something to pass; do nothing about. •/When Charles was tardy, the teacher scolded him and let it go at that./ •/The children teased Frank, but he smiled and let it go./ Compare: LET OFF(2), LET RIDE. 4. To discharge from a job; fire. •/Mr. Wilson got into a quarrel with his boss and was let go./ 5. To make (something) go out quickly; shoot; fire. •/The soldiers let go a number of shots./ •/Robin Hood let go an arrow at the deer./ •/Paul was so angry that he let go a blow at the boy./ •/The truck driver saw the flat tire and let go a loud curse./ •/The pitcher let go a fast ball and the batter swung and missed./ Compare: CUT LOOSE, LET OUT. 6. or [let oneself go] {informal} To be free in one’s actions or talk; relax. •/Judge Brown let go at the reunion of his old class and had a good time./ •/The cowboys worked hard all week, but on Saturday night they went to town and let themselves go./ Syn.: CUT LOOSE, LET LOOSE(3), LET OFF STEAM(2).
[let go hang] See: GO HANG.
[let go of]{v. phr.} To release one’s grasp. •/As soon as Sally let go of the leash, her dog ran away./
[let go of one’s mother’s apron strings] See: TIED TO ONE’S MOTHER’S APRON STRINGS.
[let grass grow under one’s feet]{v. phr.} To be idle; be lazy; waste time. — Used in negative, conditional, and interrogative sentences. •/The new boy joined the football team, made the honor roll, and found a girlfriend during the first month of school. He certainly did not let any grass grow under his feet./
[let it all hang out]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} Not to disguise anything; to let the truth be known. •/Sue can’t deceive anyone; she just lets it all hang out./
[let it lay]{v. phr.}, {used imperatively}, {slang} Forget it; leave it alone; do not be concerned or involved. •/Don’t get involved with Max again — just let it lay./
[let it rip]{v. phr.}, {used imperatively}, {slang} Don’t be concerned; pay no attention to what happens. •/Why get involved? Forget about it and let it rip./ 2. (Imperatively) Do become involved and make the most of it; get in there and really try to win. •/Come on man, give it all you’ve got and let it rip!/
