Englisch - Englisch
Definition von lay 1 im Englisch Englisch wörterbuch
- Lay is used with some nouns in expressions about accusing or blaming someone. For example, if you lay the blame for a mistake on someone, you say it is their fault, or if the police lay charges against someone, they officially accuse that person of a crime. She refused to lay the blame on any one party Police have decided not to lay charges over allegations of a telephone tapping operation
- If you lay something somewhere, you put it there in a careful, gentle, or neat way. Lay a sheet of newspaper on the floor My father's working bench was covered with a cloth and his coffin was laid there Mothers routinely lay babies on their backs to sleep
- Lay is used with some nouns to talk about making official preparations for something. For example, if you lay the basis for something or lay plans for it, you prepare it carefully. Diplomats meeting in Chile have laid the groundwork for far-reaching environmental regulations The organisers meet in March to lay plans
- to lay something bare: see bare to lay claim to something: see claim to lay something at someone's door: see door to lay eyes on something: see eye to lay a finger on someone: see finger to lay your hands on something: see hand to lay down the law: see law to lay down your life: see life to lay something to rest: see rest to lay siege to something: see siege
- If you lay yourself open to criticism or attack, or if something lays you open to it, something you do makes it possible or likely that other people will criticize or attack you. The party thereby lays itself open to charges of conflict of interest Such a statement could lay her open to ridicule
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- To lay a trap means to prepare it in order to catch someone or something. They were laying a trap for the kidnapper
- If you lay the table or lay the places at a table, you arrange the knives, forks, and other things that people need on the table before a meal. The butler always laid the table
- lay lays laying laid VERB AND NOUN USES ; In standard English, the form lay is also the past tense of the verb lie in some meanings. In informal English, people sometimes use the word lay instead of lie in those meanings. Please look at category
- If you lay something such as carpets, cables, or foundations, you put them into their permanent position. A man came to lay the saloon carpet Public utilities dig up roads to lay pipes
- When a female bird lays an egg, it produces an egg by pushing it out of its body. My canary has laid an egg Freezing weather in spring hampered the hens' ability to lay
- lie 1
- You use lie in expressions such as lie ahead, lie in store, and lie in wait when you are talking about what someone is going to experience in the future, especially when it is something unpleasant or difficult. She'd need all her strength and bravery to cope with what lay in store The President's most serious challenges lie ahead
- lie 1
- You can talk about where something such as a problem, solution, or fault lies to say what you think it consists of, involves, or is caused by. The problem lay in the large amounts spent on defence
- lie 1
- You can use lie to say what position a competitor or team is in during a competition. I was going well and was lying fourth Blyth Tait is lying in second place
- lie 1
- Please look at category
- lie 1
- You can use lie to say that something is or remains in a particular state or condition. For example, if something lies forgotten, it has been and remains forgotten. The picture lay hidden in the archives for over 40 years His country's economy lies in ruins
- lie 1
- to lie in state: see state to take something lying down: see take
- lie 1
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- lie 1
- If you are lying somewhere, you are in a horizontal position and are not standing or sitting. There was a child lying on the ground He lay awake watching her for a long time
- lie 1
- If you say that a place lies in a particular position or direction, you mean that it is situated there. The islands lie at the southern end of the Kurile chain. = sit
- lie 1
- If an object lies in a particular place, it is in a flat position in that place. a newspaper lying on a nearby couch Broken glass lay scattered on the carpet