[let know]{v. phr.} To inform. •/Please let us know the time of your arrival./
[let loose]{v.} 1a. or [set loose] or [turn loose] To set free; loosen or give up your hold on. •/The farmer opened the gate and let the bull loose in the pasture./ •/They turned the balloon loose to let it rise in the air./ 1b. or [turn loose] To give freedom (to someone) to do something; to allow (someone) to do what he wants. •/Mother let Jim loose on the apple pie./ •/The children were turned loose in the toy store to pick the toys they wanted./ 1c. To stop holding something; loosen your hold. •/Jim caught Ruth’s arm and would not let loose./ Compare: LET GO, LET OUT. 2a. {informal} To let or make (something) move fast or hard; release. •/The fielder let loose a long throw to home plate after catching the ball./ 2b. {informal} To release something held. •/Those dark clouds are going to let loose any minute./ Syn.: CUT LOOSE, LET GO. 3. {informal} To speak or act freely; disregard ordinary limits. •/The teacher told Jim that some day she was going to let loose and tell him what she thought of him./ •/Mother let loose on her shopping trip today and bought things for all of us./ Syn.: CUT LOOSE, LET GO.
[let me see] or [let us see] {informal} 1. Let us find out by trying or performing an action. •/Let me see if you can jump over the fence./ 2. Give me time to think or remember. •/I can’t come today. Let me see. How about Friday?/ •/Let’s see. Where did I put the key?/
[let off]{v.} 1. To discharge (a gun); explode; fire. •/Willie accidentally let off his father’s shotgun and made a hole in the wall./ Syn.: GO OFF, LET LOOSE(2). 2. To permit to go or escape; excuse from a penalty, a duty, or a promise. •/Two boys were caught smoking in school but the principal let them off with a warning./ •/Mary’s mother said that she would let Mary off from drying the supper dishes./ •/The factory closed for a month in the summer and let the workers off./ Compare: LET GO. 3. or {informal} [let off the hook] To miss a chance to defeat or score against, especially in sports or games. •/We almost scored a touchdown in the first play against Tech but we let them off the hook by fumbling the ball./ •/The boxer let his opponent off the hook many times./
[let off steam] or [blow off steam] {v. phr.} 1. To let or make steam escape; send out steam. •/The janitor let off some steam because the pressure was too high./ 2. {informal} To get rid of physical energy or strong feeling through activity; talk or be very active physically after forced quiet. •/After the long ride on the bus, the children let off steam with a race to the lake./ •/When the rain stopped, the boys let off steam with a ball game./ •/Bill’s mother was very angry when he was late in coming home, and let off steam by walking around and around./ •/Bill had to take his foreman’s rough criticisms all day and he would blow off steam at home by scolding the children./ Compare: BLOW ONE’S TOP, LET GO(6).
[let off the hook] See: LET OFF(3).
[let on]{v.}, {informal} 1. To tell or admit what you know. — Usually used in the negative. •/Frank lost a quarter but he didn’t let on to his mother./ 2. To try to make people believe; pretend. •/The old man likes to let on that he is rich./
[let one have it]{v. phr.} 1a. {slang} To hit hard. •/He drew back his fist and let the man have it./ •/Give him a kick in the pants; let him have it!/ Syn.: GIVE IT TO. 1b. {slang} To use a weapon on; to shoot or knife. •/The guard pulled his gun and let the robber have it in the leg./ Compare: OPEN UP. 1c. or [let one have it with both barrels] {slang} To attack with words; scold; criticize. •/Mary kept talking in class until the teacher became angry and let her have it./ Syn.: LIGHT INTO(2). 2. {informal} To tell about it. — Used in the imperative phrase, "let’s have it". •/Now, Mary, let’s have it from the beginning./ •/We will take turns reading; John, let’s have it from page one./
[let one in on]{v. phr.} To reveal a secret to; permit someone to share in. •/If I let you in on something big we’re planning, will you promise not to mention it to anyone?/
[let oneself go] See: LET GO(6).
[let one’s hair down] or [let down one’s hair] {v. phr.}, {informal} Act freely and naturally; be informal; relax. •/Kings and queens can seldom let their hair down./ •/After the dance, the college girls let their hair down and compared dates./ Compare: LET GO(6).
[let one’s left hand know what one’s right hand is doing]{v. phr.} 1. To make a show of your kindness or help to others. — Used in the negative. •/The Bible tells us not to let the left hand know what the right hand is doing when we give to the poor./ 2. {informal} To let everyone taking part in something know what each is doing; encourage cooperation in working. •/Tom told Fred and Bill to meet him in town, but he forgot to tell them where. Next time he’ll let his left hand know what his right hand is doing./ — Often used in the negative. •/Our team lost today because the coach and captain did not let the left hand know what the right was doing, and the players were all mixed up./
[let out]{v.} 1a. To allow to go out or escape. •/The guard let the prisoners out of jail to work in the garden./ •/Mother won’t let us out when it rains./ Compare: LET LOOSE. 1b. {informal} To make (a sound) come out of the mouth; utter. •/A bee stung Charles. He let out a yell and ran home./ •/Father told Betty to sit still and not let out a peep during church./ 2. To allow to be known; tell. •/I’ll never tell you another secret if you let this one out./ Compare: LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG. 3. To make larger (as clothing) or looser; allow to slip out (as a rope). •/Mary’s mother had to let out her dress because Mary is growing so tall./ •/Father hooked a big fish on his line. He had to let the line out so the fish wouldn’t break it./ Compare: PIECE OUT. Contrast: TAKE IN. 4. {informal} To allow to move at higher speed. •/The rider let out his horse to try to beat the horse ahead of him./ 5. {informal} To free from blame, responsibility, or duty. — Often used with "of". •/Last time I let you out of it when you were late. I’ll have to punish you this time./ •/Frank has shoveled the snow from the sidewalk. That lets me out./ Compare: LET GO, LET OFF. 6, {informal} To discharge from a job; fire. •/The shop closed down and all the men were let out./ 7. {informal} To dismiss or be dismissed. •/The coach let us out from practice at 3 o’clock./ •/I’ll meet you after school lets out./
[let pass]{v. phr.} To disregard; overlook. •/Herb may have overheard what was said about him, but he decided to let it pass./
[let ride]{v. phr.}, {informal} To allow to go on without change; accept (a situation or action) for the present. •/The committee could not decide what to do about Bob’s idea, so they let the matter ride for a month or so./ •/The class was rather noisy but the teacher let it ride because it was near Christmas./ •/Ruth’s paper was not very good, but the teacher let it ride because she knew Ruth had tried./ Compare: LET GO(3), LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE.
[let’s don’t] also [don’t let’s] {substandard} Let’s not; let us not; I suggest that we don’t. •/"'Let’s go out and play," said Fred. "Let’s don’t until the rain stops," said Mary./ •/Don’t let’s go now. Let’s go tomorrow instead./
[let’s have it] See: LET HAVE IT.
[let sleeping dogs lie] Do not make (someone) angry and cause trouble or danger; do not make trouble if you do not have to. — A proverb. •/Don’t tell Father that you broke the window. Let sleeping dogs lie./
[let slip]{v. phr.} To unintentionally reveal. •/Ellen let it slip that she had been a witness to the accident./
[letter] See: CHAIN LETTER, NIGHT LETTER, TO THE LETTER.
[letter-perfect]{adj. phr.} Memorized perfectly; perfect to the last letter. •/The actor was letter-perfect in his role./
[let the cat out of the bag]{v. phr.}, {informal} To tell about something that is supposed to be a secret. •/We wanted to surprise Mary with a birthday gift, but Allen let the cat out of the bag by asking her what she would like./ — Sometimes used in another form. •/Well, the cat is out of the bag — everybody knows about their marriage./ Compare: GIVE AWAY(3), LET OUT(2), SPILL THE BEANS.
[let the chips fall where they may]{v. phr.} To pay no attention to the displeasure caused others by your actions. •/The senator decided to vote against the bill and let the chips fall where they may./ •/The police chief told his men to give tickets to all speeders and let the chips fall where they may./ Compare: COME WHAT MAY.
[let the grass grow under one’s feet]{v. phr.}, {informal} To waste time; be slow or idle. •/Grandpa spends so much time sitting and thinking that Grandma accuses him of letting the grass grow under his feet./
[let up]{v.}, {informal} 1. To become less, weaker, or quiet; become slower or stop. •/It’s raining as hard as ever. It’s not letting up at all./ •/It snowed for three days before it let up and we could go outdoors./ 2. To do less or go slower or stop; relax; stop working or working hard. •/Grandfather has been working all his life. When is he going to let up?/ •/Let up for a minute. You can’t work hard all day./ •/Jim ran all the way home without letting up once./ Compare: SLOW DOWN. Contrast: BEAR DOWN. 3. To become easier, kinder, or less strict. — Usually used with "on". •/Let up on Jane. She is sick./ Syn.: EASE UP. 4. or [change up] To pitch a ball at less than full speed in baseball. — Usually used with "on". •/John pitched a ball that was very fast and the batter missed it. Then he let up on the next pitch and the batter was badly fooled./
[let well enough alone] or [leave well enough alone] {v. phr.} To be satisfied with what is good enough; not try to improve something because often that might cause more trouble. •/John wanted to make his kite go higher, but his father told him to let well enough alone because it was too windy./ •/Ed polished up his car until his friends warned him to leave well enough alone./ •/Ethel made a lot of changes in her test paper after she finished. She should have let well enough alone, because she made several new mistakes./ Compare: LET RIDE.
[level] See: ON THE LEVEL.
[level best]{adj. phr.} One’s utmost; one’s very best. •/Eric refused to stay in school although his parents did their level best to make him finish./
[levelheaded]{adj. phr.} Having good common sense; practical; reasonable. •/What our office needs is a good, level-headed manager./
[level off] or [level out] {v.} 1. To make flat or level. •/The steamroller leveled out the gravel roadbed and then the concrete was poured./ 2. To move on an even level. •/The airplane leveled out at 2,000 feet./ •/After going up for six months, the cost of living leveled off in September./
[level with]{v. phr.} To tell someone the truth; not engage in lies and subterfuge. •/"You can level with me," his father said. "Did you break that window?"/
[liberty] See: TAKE LIBERTIES.
[lick and a promise]{n. phr.}, {informal} A careless, hasty job; an unsatisfactory piece of work. •/You didn’t wash your hands. You just gave them a lick and a promise./ •/The boys didn’t cut the grass properly. All it got was a lick and a promise./
[lickety-split] also [lickety-cut] {adv.}, {informal} At full speed; with a rush. •/As soon as school was out the boys ran lickety-split to the swimming pool./
[lick into shape]{v. phr.} To make perfect; drill; train. •/The sergeant licked the new volunteer army into shape in three months./
[lick one’s boots]{v. phr.} To flatter or act like a slave; do anything to please another. •/She wanted her boyfriend to lick her boots all the time./ •/A wise king would not want his friends and officials to lick his boots./
